Misty-Onyx: Forever Together
by 10Blue10
Summary: During their time in the Myrkr nest, Hiccup and Toothless met another heart-bound pair, still deeply in love even after sixty years. This is the story of how they first became mates, and then two halves of a whole. The friends they had, the trials they faced, and the reward they earned.
1. Hearts Found

A/N: I didn't write this! It was written by IronGut and I'm reposting it on my account with his permission. He also did the cover art, which looks _awesome. _The song for this chapter is 'Love Will Find A Way' fromDisney's 'The Lion King II'.

Misty-Onyx – Forever Together

Chapter 1: Hearts Found

It was a day like any other on Myrkr; the land was a hum of dragon activity, all different types of the beasts out hunting, flying, and playing among the lands surrounding one particular mountain. A mountain which happened to be an extinct volcano; and one which happened to be home to a nest of the most skilled and deadly dragons in the land, the Swift-Wings. In that nest were scores of them, all black as night, and fast as lightning, and to the untrained eye, all mirror images of one another, save for the occasional scar or missing piece of themselves they had lost in battle.

Among those scores was one particular young drakaina. She padded about the nest quietly by herself, noting the other Swift-Wings mostly ignoring her as they passed by. It wasn't out of spite or anything bad that they didn't pay her much mind, it was something much simpler. She wasn't special in their eyes. In the nest, there was a hierarchy of importance, and the more standing you had in that hierarchy, the more attention you got. Swift-Wings such as Ekeren, and his daughter Ebony, where quite well placed thanks to their lineage and the skills they had gathered as healers.

Others, like the particular Swift-Wing currently sighing in lonesome resignation as she padded through tunnels off towards nowhere in particular, had a lineage that involved nothing of note, and their skills warranted nothing to help make up for that either. She was only about a tenth her full age, a mere 40 years old, yet as Misty looked at the other dragons with her whitish blue eyes, resembling the skies themselves with their milky clouds in them, she felt so tired of the same old thing.

Mating season was in full swing, and this was yet another one since she'd come of age where it seemed as though she would have nobody trying to woo her yet again. It weighed heavily on her heart how little she seemed to matter. She'd tried to impress the nest at large, making successful hunts to catch elk and such to offer the nest, though none of her catches had been particularly impressive it seemed, even if they were the best she could do.

Misty found her way to Onyx's family's cavern, the drakaina peering inside and giving a warble to anyone inside. To her delight the dark blue of Onyx's navy eyes could be seen opening, and he greeted her as he stretched and then padded out to join his friend. Onyx was only a few years older than his friend, and fairly low in the hierarchy as well, only being a few steps up from her, but he had potential it seemed. His father was one of the many defenders of the nest, and his mother one of the regular food gatherers; of course he still had much to prove to the nest himself, but he was growing into a suitable defender-to-be it seemed.

His aim was sure just like his father, and he had the exceptional vision of his dad as well, it was though he was built for sniping things in the dark, which was good because he was certainly not strong enough to be a brawler, his limbs had never felt particularly strong at the best of times, and in close range he was easily defeated by most other dragons. Onyx's parents were a bit more protective of him than most, hence him still being in their shared corner of the nest despite being of mating age, and that, coupled with the eager drake trying to only court the best drakaina's he could to try and prove himself and advance in standing, meant he too was still without a mate even on his tenth mating season.

*Wanna go flying?* Misty asked her friend simply, trying to hide the pain in her voice. She wanted a male to try to court her so badly, to finally cleanse her of the loneliness she had been struggling with, but for now, her childhood friend, her best friend, would have to be companionship enough yet again. *Of course Misty!* He agreed without hesitation, bounding off with her towards the exit tunnel nearest them and the two taking to the air together. Misty let out a happy sigh as the wind blew over her face and across her wings, watching Onyx trade positions around her, from flying alongside, to above, and in front of her.

She delighted in his scent, she could feel how pent-up he was whenever she was downwind, it was clear as day to everyone except Onyx himself. A few times she'd thought to herself the last couple mating seasons how she wished Onyx would court her, she'd tried to be subtle and give him signs that she would be interested, but he seemed oblivious as he continued to try and court the more status holding females of the nest.

It wasn't as though Onyx wasn't attracted to her, of course. Misty was a particularly graceful Swift-Wing, even if nobody else could see it. The way she flew through the air was always with a certain grace, and with a delicacy that he could never match no matter how hard he tried. He admired that in his long-time childhood friend, envied it in fact. He didn't think she'd ever think of him that way though, and besides, he had to focus on other things; his obligation to proving himself to the rest of the nest like his parents did was chief among them. They were expecting him to win a mate of status, and he was doing his best to try and find that mate each season, despite his failures each and every winter.

It was driving him crazy though too, the loneliness he was starting to feel as well. Misty in fact was one of only three friends he had made, and he relished her company always to help combat the isolation, sharing a kinship with her in that regard, the two often complaining to each other about their mating and friendship woes. He watched Misty fly from behind her, the way her wings so smoothly transitioned from one position to another in order to sweep the air just how she needed, the way her smile emerged with each manoeuvre she would complete, it made him happy to see. Just as it pained him every time he'd watch the smile fade and her wings droop after that smile, clearly she was having trouble getting something off her mind.

She looked back at him often, every time she felt the joy of an aerial trick leave, her thoughts about being alone reared their ugly heads, and she turned back to Onyx to combat them as best she could, thinking of how he was here with her, keeping her at least from being entirely by herself. He was so nice and caring, and he smelled so good too, she found her head swirling with thoughts about Onyx more and more the further she flew, and out of nowhere she turned her wing down and landed on a small mesa as she suddenly didn't feel like flying anymore. Onyx landed right behind her, a bit confused. *What's wrong? You were flying so nicely* he asked with a tilt of his head, Misty seemingly lost in thought as he watched her look back at the nest a few short miles away and at him.

Now that they'd landed, their scents were even stronger, helped by the fact that the big flat-topped rock they had both landed on held no vegetation atop it, and thus there was nothing to disguise their scents. The view from atop the mesa was particularly nice, as it was fairly high up and you could see everything from its top; and between the romantic view and the strong smells, she felt so much longing as she stared at him. It was in that moment she gathered up her courage and did something she never thought she'd resort to.

She took a deep breath and looked at Onyx, and then as light on her feet as she could, danced about in a circle, her wings and tail held high as she pranced on her toes, doing a complete loop and then stopping to look at the confused male. She hung her head dejectedly after watching his blank expression for a moment, unsure as to whether he was refusing her, or just didn't notice that was the mating dance, or something else that had him only staring back at her with the look of a spooked deer. ~_Why?~_ She thought to herself in sorrow, _~Why won't he make a move?~_ Why wouldn't anyone for that matter? Was she really so low in status that even Onyx wouldn't touch her? _~ He wants me, I know he does! I can smell it, so what's stopping him?!~_ She finally decided to find out.

*Is it because I'm not high enough in the hierarchy?* She blurted out to her friend, skipping a few steps ahead in the conversation, and thus leaving Onyx even more dumbfounded, as he only shifted his gaze and looked back behind him in confusion, trying to sort things out. *W-What are you talking about?* he finally replied, to which she whimpered and laid herself down on her belly, avoiding his eyes. *That's why you won't try to court me…* She sounded so distraught as she spoke, and immediately Onyx felt ashamed and flabbergasted at the same time.

He saw her try to show him her mating dance just a moment ago, but was hesitant to respond because he was in shock, and then suddenly lost in thought, about his obligation to his status, and to the fact she was trying to court him! He'd never thought he'd be the one pursued, much less by Misty, and to be blunt, it was a 'too good to be true' moment, the type of which he'd figured out to be skeptical of, for usually it meant he was being tricked. He'd learned many moons ago to not jump at every free meal he'd find laying on the grass, lest it be a trap. He suddenly realized he was frozen in place again and that a few moments had gone by when Misty's pained whines snapped him back to attention, and he thought about her question, and suddenly he felt sick to his stomach. He felt sick because it was true. She wasn't a drakaina of status, and that's why he wasn't pursuing her.

Not for the first time, he wondered if it was right of him to do so. Absolutely, he wanted her; he figured that out quite a few winters ago. No other dragon knew him the way she did, no other dragon seemed to have her grace in the air, almost as though every flight was a dance, but his obligation weighed on him so much he couldn't allow himself to think about courting her. Every mating season his parents would be pushing suggestions on him, badgering him about this drakaina and that one, trying to push him up the hierarchy without much regard to his desires. To them, keeping his future place in the nest secured was the most important worry they had, and thus, was his as well. *Misty….* He began, shame filling his voice as he laid down nose to nose with his best friend, trying to piece together what to say.

Every time he opened his mouth though his guilt stopped him from explaining, and after three rounds of gaping like a fish, Misty whimpered again. *It is, isn't it?...* He closed his eyes and nodded back yes almost imperceptibly, unable to say it aloud. Before she could speak though he moved forwards and licked her nose. *Misty. I like you… a lot… you're so magnificent and beautiful in the air. You've been my best friend ever since I can remember…* Onyx thought aloud, the only thing he could do to distract both himself and her from the uncomfortable truth. *Your eyes are like the sky, and I love the way you smell. You're so sweet and kind, so much so you don't even think all the humans are bad, just like Ebony! And I like that too!* He spoke, trying to console her, but even as he laid it all out for her, why she was so great, he only saw her mood barely lifting.

He found himself listening to his own words too, and suddenly the questions hit him. _~What are you DOING?!~_ He thought to himself. _~LOOK AT HER! JUST LOOK AT HER you big egg-for-brains! She WANTS you! She wants you so bad that SHE tried to court YOU, and your rejection is killing her inside! And her being so sad is killing YOU!~_ His thoughts became clearer and clearer by the second. _~You want her too, stupid! You LOVE her! The way she flies, the way she looks, her scent, her kindness, EVERYTHING! Are you REALLY going to turn her away?! Think of how LONELY you both are! Can you REALLY say no to this, for the sake of your STATUS!? STATUS YOU DON'T EVEN WANT FOR YOURSELF! YOUR SIRE IS THE ONE WHO WANTS THAT STATUS FOR YOU, YOU STUPID REPTILE!~_ and something in his mind just, clicked. Something that felt long overdue. He couldn't do this to her. Not anymore, and not to himself either. It was obvious, and he was the one standing in the way. NO. NO MORE!

*Misty…* He called her name to get her attention, his voice filled with uncertainty and nervousness, yet with the determination that he'd never shown before as well. She lifted her head up only slightly, looking up to him as the dragon got up onto his feet, and turned to step back a few steps before turning back around to her, looking her square in those beautiful eyes the whole while. He took a breath, and putting as much grace as he could into his motions, he lifted his wings high, lifted his tail, and rose to his toes.

Misty's eyes widened immediately as she stared in disbelief with a gasp, and hope, so, SO much hope, and she watched, as her best friend trotted in a single circle and then sat back down again as meaningfully as he could, gesturing his chin for her to get up and dance with him. Her heart was so full of joy and glee she could hardly contain herself as she quickly rose to her feet, and took her place alongside her Onyx, her limbs trembling as she struggled to breathe. The two of them looked at each other, and finally smiled, as they trotted around each other once again, performing the dance together.

They circled one another a good three or four, or perhaps it was closer to a dozen times, lost in each other's gazes too much to care that they were going around in circles too many times. It didn't matter to them, just as all the thoughts Onyx had about his status had suddenly no longer mattered, or Misty's doubts and insecurities about herself no longer mattered, they were about to be MATES! FINALLY. Neither of them were going to be alone again. It was as if the weight of the entire world suddenly was off their backs, the two feeling as light as the breeze itself, and nothing else mattered as they both questioned themselves why they hadn't done this moons and moons ago. Misty quickly sat down to stop the dance, Onyx stopping as he realized only now how they had gotten lost in circling one another. He watched as Misty, his Misty, turned around before him and offered herself to her new mate with an eager wag of her tail and an impatient smile, and Onyx gladly crept forth, eager to indulge in those long denied mating urges he only now realized had been burning in his loins like a roaring inferno since he'd ushered her to dance with him.


	2. Hearts Bound

A/N: The song for this chapter is 'Me Without You' by Sam Tsui.

Chapter Two – Hearts Bound

Another dozen winters passed, and it was yet another lazy day on Myrkr, the two mated swift-wings sitting in their cavern, bored out of their wits. *Ugh, why does nothing interesting ever happen lately…* Misty complained aloud to the open air, getting an amused chortle from her mate beside her.

*Well, if you ask me, I'm just glad the Lightning-Fang war is over. If only cause I don't have to rush out to defend the nest with every attack. I was so worried every time I'd left that I'd not make it back and see you again…* Onyx nuzzled his mate back as she purred in response, indeed she was happy for that war being over as well, it would fill her with such worry watching Onyx fly off to battle, but thus was his role in the nest, to cover one of the main entrances and defend it from any and all possible intruders, even if that meant having to cave in the entrance around him to keep the nest secure.

*Say! You wanna go for a flight?* Misty suddenly beamed as she looked back at Onyx, who rolled his eyes and sighed.

*_Misty_… You know the queen has disallowed anyone from leaving Myrkr with all the recent human activity in the ocean…* Onyx protested mildly, his mate was insistent however.

*We won't leave Myrkr! We'll just...go to the western mountains and explore!*

Onyx huffed and retorted, *That's just as bad! You know the Fire-Spinners claim the mountains off to the west this time of year, and how they want to claim everything they can see as being their territory. Why can't we explore any of the other three sides?* he protested.

*Because we've already found everything there is to find on those three sides and you know it! Come on, I've wanted to see the west of Myrkr for moon turns and you know it… _Please_?...* Misty pleaded, her big, round and impossible to say no eyes staring at her mate as Onyx huffed a hot breath over her and relented. *_Fine_… but if anyone asks, we're going south. I'd rather not worry everyone else because you're as bold as Ebony sometimes, as much as I love that about you.* He chortled, Misty wriggling in gleeful anticipation as she nuzzled her mate warmly and then padded out of the cave, ushering Onyx to follow.

The two of them launched into the air together with hard downbeats of their wings, quickly climbing out the mouth of the volcano's main chamber, turning to the south and then flying low before turning to the right and heading west instead when they had gotten clear of the mountain and the sentries that flew a constant vigil around its peak. Misty delighted in the prevailing winds coming off the western shore as she flew ahead of her mate, the sunset making the sea off the shoreline glow a fantastic orange.

Onyx kept up with his mate, following in her tailwind catching the scents emanating from her, exuding joy and delight, and he purred at the way they alighted upon his nostrils. He couldn't help but admire his mate as she danced among the dying sunlight, her magnificent wings and body flowing through the air like the winds themselves, performing tricks for her own amusement, and then for his sake when she noticed he was watching her. Sure Misty might not have been the fastest, or the most delicate of fliers, but to Onyx, the way she flew was beautiful, and he relished in her every move, joining her in their mid-air ballet until they had both tired themselves out quite effectively. The two of them decided together to find a good landing space and have a nap together to regain their strength before they would head back, and the clearing near the coastal cliff seemed like the perfect spot.

It was a few hours into the evening later that Onyx would awaken, uncoiling himself from around his drakaina gently as to not wake her, his rumbling belly demanding to be fed after all that flying. The scent of a deer towards the north caught his nostrils, and he followed after it. Soon enough Onyx had found his prey, his dark navy blue eyes doing well to help hide him among the dark as he stared it down from a short distance, stalking the fresh meal, focusing entirely on the hunt, forgetting about his flank for a few moments too long…

*_INTRUDER!_* The shrieking voice of the male Fire-Spinner roared out as it landed with a hard crack atop the Swift-Wing, causing him to cry out in pain as the talons dug into his back. Onyx quickly spun his head around and fired a blast at the Spinner reflexively. Although the Fire-Spinner had dodged the blast, it still relinquished its hold on Onyx and flapped twice to land back a few meters away. *I'M NOT an intruder! I'm no threat! I was just here on a hunt!* Onyx roared out as he tried to explain and reason with the bigger dragon.

*NO! YOU'RE TOO CLOSE TO MY NEST! YOU MUST DIE!* The Fire-Spinner declared as he shot a jet of fire at the Swift-Wing, quickly beating his large wings to push the fire into a tornado, sending it towards Onyx, who tried his best to dodge, but nevertheless found himself blown off his paws by it, landing onto his back as once again the fire-spinner charged and jumped upon him before he could right himself, claws digging even deeper into his softer, less protected belly as he could only cry out for help and wail in pain. *_**MISTYYYY! HELLLPP!**_*

The female Swift-Wing was already awakening from her nap, and she pouted at the discovery of her mate's absence. Suddenly though her ear fins jerked upright in alarm as she heard her mate's cry for help a short distance away. *_**ONYX!**_* She darted off in the direction of the call, taking to the air and beating her wings fast to propel her towards the fight. She arrived to find the beast of a Fire-Spinner tearing into her mate's belly and sides over and over, enraged at the Swift-Wing who had DARED stray too close to his nest! Onyx struggled to charge up and fire at his attacker, each shot he did manage to get off though was yet another close miss as the enraged dragon only sunk his talons in deeper in response.

Misty hurriedly folded her wings in tight and dive bombed the Fire-Spinner with a flying head-butt that knocked him clear off her mate, roaring in defiant protest to get his attention on her instead. Soon enough she had gotten the upper hand, she circled and danced in the air around his own breaths of fire, making sure she stayed flying where she knew she was quicker than any Fire-Spinner. Her plasma blasts found their target without fail every time, her deadly fire fuelled by rage and love, staggering the Fire-Spinner back and away until she had exhausted all her shots. She roared warnings at him and did her best to bluff that she still had fire left to spare.

The fire spinner squirmed in pain, and despite the seething rage burning in his eyes, and the desire to end the Swift-Wings before him, he knew he was outgunned with the arrival of the female. With a snarl and a ground shaking roar he cried his hatred to the both of them, cursing the name *_SWIFT-WINGS!_* , before launching into the air, making his hasty escape. Misty panted heavily for breath in the aftermath of reaching her shot limit, and her slitted eyes followed the Fire-Spinner up into the sky and away from them, making sure he was good and clear before her attention snapped back to her mate as he struggled to call out her name. *_Misty_…* Onyx groaned softly, his adrenaline wearing off and making him collapse onto his belly as the pain hit him like a tidal wave.

*ONYX!* She whimpered and cried out her mate's name as her eyes suddenly shot back to wide open with worry. She turned in the air fast and dove to land with a heavy thud on her paws beside him, nuzzling his cheek and warbling concern as she surveyed over his injuries. It wasn't good, the Fire-Spinner had caused gash after gash between his scales and especially on his vulnerable belly, each one deeper than the last and all of them bleeding heavily with his deep red blood across the ground.

Misty whined as she tried to lick clean all the wounds, but they were just so harsh they would not stop bleeding and there were so many. *_Misty_… I'm… sorry…* Onyx knew he couldn't make it back to the nest in time to be healed, and he could feel the life draining from his veins, he wouldn't very long at this rate and they both knew it, but only he was willing to accept it. *_NO! DON'T BE SORRY! YOU'RE GOING TO MAKE IT! YOU HAVE TO!_* She pounded her forepaws into the ground in denial, guilt flowing through her at not making it to her mate's side sooner, for suggesting they come out here in the first place, for _everything_.

She whimpered and fruitlessly kept on licking her mate's wounds as he tried to speak to her. *Misty…. My Misty…thank you, for everything… for being my mate… for being the best drakaina ever… I love you…* He struggled to stay awake, his mate trying her hardest not to listen and yet hanging on his every word, she did not want him to die! He couldn't! _Anyone but him_! She struggled to slide beneath and try to heft up the heavier swift-wing onto her back, intending to carry him back to the nest herself with the speed of lightning itself if she had to! But that plan only got so far as being able to lift Onyx's chest and not much further, he was far too heavy for her alone.

*Misty… look at me…* Onyx asked, resigned to his fate. His mate ignoring the request as she was reduced to trying to drag her mate home by his tail in desperation. *Misty… _please_… I just want to see you one more time…* Onyx pleaded with a whimper that finally got her attention, the drakaina coming to look at her mate, her milky blue eyes as wide as the moon itself. *Onyx…I-I can't! Please! I don't want to say goodbye!* She whimpered desperately, unsure of what to do but still unwilling to face the fact that her mate would soon join the ancestors without her by his side. *I know my love… I don't want to either… * Onyx did his best to console her, only to find her, inconsolable…

*...Heart-bind with me!* She suddenly pleaded in a cry after a long pause when the idea hit her, looking desperately to her mate as he lay there, slowly dying, the sight of it making her feel as though she was dying with him. Onyx's eyes blinked their way fully open from the suggestion and he looked at her. *Are- are you sure?* He asked his mate weakly, concerned she was only suggesting this as a last ditch effort to save him, and a risky one too. He wasn't sure whether or not if they did bind he'd still be too hurt to make it, and if they tried and he didn't, then she'd die as well...

In truth though, it was something that had been in the back of her mind ever since she lay with him on their mesa in the aftermath of their initial joining, that one mating season long ago, and despite the risk, she couldn't bear not to try. Even if it could mean she would die too, the thought of losing her mate would be worse than death. *YES! MORE THAN ANYTHING ONYX!* She cried out without hesitation, padding up to her mate and pressing her forehead to his, certain of what she was suggesting, even with the risk to herself, along with what the heart-bind would mean for them going forward if they did make it. Onyx could tell she was sure, and he let out a gentle warble of affection and nodded 'okay' as he felt her quickly retreat from their contact. He couldn't help but wince when he heard his drakaina squeal in pain from her hurried bite to her own tail, drawing deep red blood from the self-inflicted wound.

Doing his best to roll over for his mate, he watched through hazy eyes as she rushed to his side, selected the most open gash she could reach and quickly pressed her bleeding tail into it. He bit back a cry at the sharp pain of her pushing herself into his wound, and forced himself to stay still despite his cringing, writhing limbs as he felt her blood mixing with his inside his veins and vice-versa. He focused on taking deep, steady breaths and forcing himself to stay awake, even as the corners of his vision began to grow darker and darker, ~just a little longer~ he instructed himself, giving as much time as he could bear for their blood to blend.

Finally the drakaina pulled her tail away and pressed her paws to her mate's wound and looked up towards the full moon, whimpering at it pleadingly. *B-BY THE MOON! I swear my life and my love to Onyx, and I bind my heart to his! Please don't let him die! I don't want to live without him!* She begged the impassionate white orb floating in the sky above them, reciting the oath for the both of them.

For a while it felt like it might not work, Onyx continuing to bleed out while his mate clung to his side, whimpering with a pain equal to his from heartbreak. Was this their penance for their arrogance in coming out here? Were they not high enough in the hierarchy to be worth saving? Had they done something wrong? _Why wasn't it __**working**__?!_ Misty whimpered as she pulled her paws away from the wound and nuzzled her mate face to face once again, her eyes closed in sorrow and her breaths erratic. *I- I'm sorry… I don't know… what to do…* She struggled to breathe as Onyx crooned _sympathy _to her. *It's ok, my love… My Misty…* He spoke so softly and reassuringly as another few moments passed, time seeming frozen as the two Swift-Wings made sure to be together for as long as they could…

Suddenly the both of them snapped their eyes back open as they felt something in their chests, a warmth neither of them had felt before, but that felt, so familiar, so right, like it belonged there, and always had. Misty gasped as she hardly dared hope, pulling back her head to the side to watch her mate's wounds, as they slowly sealed up before her very eyes, her gaze once again wide in astonishment and joy as she darted her attention back to her mate. *O-ONYX!* she cried out in glee.

*Yes… I feel it too!...* Onyx replied in whisper with a smile as he felt strength slowly returning to his limbs, coming not from himself, but from her, it flowed through him like a river from his chest, and he lifted his head to nuzzle his drakaina affectionately, her whole body wiggling in joyful relief at not needing to say goodbye. The drakaina gave a sudden yelp as she felt something else, her belly and sides suddenly bursting with pain, ~oh right, heart bound pairs share not just each other's strength, but each other's pain as well~.

She gritted her teeth and groaned, twitching a few times as her eyes squeezed shut before she took a few deep breaths and dealt with the pain. She would deal with it, for her Onyx, who himself let out a whine at seeing her suffering in the echoes of his injuries. *Misty, I'm so sorry you-*

*It's okay!* she cut him off as she opened her eyes and looked into his deep dark blue gaze, seeing the concern in them and snipping it out despite her heavy breathing. *I can handle it, I promise! It's only an echo…* She leaned in and nuzzled her other half despite the pain, crooning reassurance to him as he did the same for her.

The two managed to gather enough strength to walk back within range of the nest and into a clearing, where the drakaina launched a plasma blast high into the air to signal the scouts for help. Within moments Tempest had found them and swooped down from his perimeter patrol route, landing in front of them with a soft thud as he recognized the two younger dragons. He was a bit annoyed at them having flown off so far and now calling for a rescue.

*Onyx, Misty! When are you two going to stop flying off every time you get bored?...* He began to ask when saw the weakened and blood covered Onyx, even if he had no visible wounds from which all that blood could have come from. He tilted his head and pondered for a moment, noticing how close Misty was holding Onyx under her wing, and her own lightly injured tail-tip beside her. His eyes widened and his posture shot back upright as it clicked. *Have you two… heart bound?!* He asked incredulously, to which Misty gave a firm nod, nuzzling her mate as he focused on staying upright on his paws before his flock-mate.

*Um, congratulations, I suppose?* Tempest offered dubiously, unsure what to make of things as he'd yet to meet such a freshly bound pair before, much less be the first to encounter them. Usually it would be announced by the Queen at a gathering when a heart-binding had taken place among the flock, or if the pair wanted to be more discreet, the news trickling through the pack through word of thought-speak, so he wasn't quite sure how to react.

*Can you carry him to the healing caverns, please? He's still so weak!* Misty gently pleaded to Tempest, snapping him out of his side-tracked thoughts. Tempest nodded and quickly took to the air once again, hovering gently above the drained male, who did his best to make himself easy to lift for his fellow Swift-Wing, while Misty lovingly nuzzled and reassured him with a gentle croon. *It's okay Onyx, you're safe now. WE'RE safe now. We're going to make it!* She smiled at him, and he crooned back at her and smiled too *Yes, yes we are my love. Thank you, you are the best drakaina ever.*

Onyx nuzzled her back as he was lifted off the ground, doing his best to hold onto Tempest's paws as they wrapped underneath him, it was so weird feeling to be carried back to the nest, he hadn't needed to be carried since he was a fledgling after all, but it was what was necessary. Tempest carried him carefully towards the nest, Misty flying alongside and level with Onyx, the two heart bound Swift-Wings taking a moment to reflect on how lucky they felt as they flew and were carried, not just to have made it back to safety, but to have each other still, and now to have each other until the bitter end.


	3. Adjusting

A/N: The song for this chapter is 'All of Me' by John Legend. Please leave a review!

Chapter Three – Adjusting

It took the better part of a week for Onyx to heal, Misty never leaving his side the whole time, the two of them doing not much more than sleeping and eating, knowing that it would help speed Onyx's recovery. Once they were back in their corner of the nest outside of the healing caverns though, it was time to finally talk, among other traditional things. *Misty.* Onyx got her attention almost as soon as they arrived. *Thank you again, I know I said it at least a hundred times, but… well… yeah.* She gently laughed at her other half's repeated thankfulness, she'd indeed heard him thank her at least a hundred times, and she'd gladly hear it a hundred more too. With a loving press from her forehead to his, and a lick of his chin, she replied in a soft croon. *You're welcome my love.* She padded over and sat herself down facing him and he felt a little awkward in bringing it up, mostly because he didn't have any sort of segue for the topic.

*So we are going to feel different then. Let's see, I heard that, our protective desires are going to go up a bunch, which shouldn't be too troublesome, heh, maybe you'll actually start listening to me when I tell you that something you wanna do is dangerous!* Onyx chuckled until he received a sudden and playful smack upside his head with Misty's tail. *But if we hadn't gone, we wouldn't now be heart-bound! Hehe* she jabbed back at him with a smirk before she continued, *and I'm pretty sure neither of us regrets this. I know I don't.* Onyx smiled again as he rubbed the smacked location with a paw. *Heh, true. Hmmm, what else… OH! Well, we already knew about sharing strength and pain, and of course it's kinda hard to forget the dying together part.* He scratched things off his mental list one after another, each one coupled with a nod from his other half, none of it really sounding like anything that'd be too hard to adjust to, *In time, we can communicate through the bind, and kinda, mix in each other's minds? I still don't understand how that will work, but, I'm sure we'll understand after it happens, heh. I don't think I'm missing anything, am I?* He pondered aloud, Misty giving a giggle as indeed there was something he was forgetting, though it was less an aspect they needed to be ready for, more a tradition that they needed to take part in.

Misty smiled at her other half as she laid herself down onto the mossy stone ground of the caves, and turned onto her back, laying herself bare for her other half, letting him catch the hint. It took Onyx a moment of staring with his head tilted in pondering what she was doing before suddenly his eyes widened and he jolted up *Oh! Right! How could I forget! Exploring!* He did his other half the favour of smacking himself lightly on the face for her as he padded up with a smile, and climbed over her to be eye to eye with his other half, as he began to explore her features. He looked deep into her eyes, memorizing the shape of every cloud in them, his gaze turning to learn the pattern of her scutes, the size and shape of her head fins, and her jawline, committing them all to memory. *How do I look?* She asked with a mild tease and a wag in her tail when he laid himself down atop her for a moment and squeezed her in his limbs. *As beautiful as you've always been.* He got up after she nuzzled him affectionately and allowed his gaze to follow along her body, noting the scars of her wounds, asking to hear the stories of the ones he was unfamiliar with whenever he came across one, few as they were.

Soon enough he had gone over every last inch of her, and she could smell his scent sharpening for her as a side effect. Now though it was her turn to explore her other half, gently pushing him over and committing to memory every last one of his features. From his larger brow, to the deep, dark blue of his eyes, which as she looked, she saw the faintest of dark grey swirls in, like the ones you find when cracking open a gem-rock, she made a point to notice and explore them all. She heard the stories of his more numerous scars, and his rather unique ideas about how he thought the scale pattern on his left leg looked just like the island of Myrkr. She couldn't much see it, but that was ok, she was loving it regardless, because it was him, just the same way she didn't care if he was particularly strong or fast, she didn't care, because it was Onyx. His body, his ideas about his body, the intoxicating scents coming off of him… She teased him by letting her tongue drag across his exposed belly, making him warble and wriggle on his back, and then she wiggled her flank at him and leapt up to fly out of the nest where they could be in the air and mate properly, making him give chase, the swift-wing eager to catch up and indulge in their shared desire for one another.

* * *

It wasn't but a week later that the two heart-bound Swift-Wings were exploring about on the lands of Myrkr, enjoying their free time they had at the moment with the queen granting Onyx a reprieve from his duties because of their recent brush with death and to adjust to being bound. They travelled on paw to take their time and to change things up, they had seen the land dozens of times over from the skies, and a new perspective is always a welcome thing. Misty laughed loudly when Onyx finished his tale as they walked, having been recalling the day when he had first met Tempest as a fledgling, for some reason mistaking him for his father, who had been delayed in retrieving him from the nursery caverns. *What?! I told you! He was ALWAYS there to pick me up! The damn coddler he and mom were, heh, so I figured, he MUST be him! He was the drake who looked closest to my father, and so I went up and nuzzled him!* He defended himself to his other half, who continued to guffaw at his young logic *I understand what you were thinking! Haha, it's still hilarious though that the first thing you thought to mention was how much weight he'd put on since that morning!* She padded with closed eyes behind her Onyx, unable to open them from laughing so hard.

*Ouch!* She suddenly let out as she jumped a little bit from the sudden prick against her shoulder, eyes opening to see the thorn bush she'd accidentally brushed too close to. Of course, she didn't have much time to even notice or piece together what had happened, as the sound of Onyx shrieking filled her ears as he leapt up into the air, hovering suddenly. Flashes of light filled Misty's vision as right beside her the swift-wing's plasma blasted apart the bush that had dared to lay a thorn on her. The other bushes quickly evaporated as well one after another in rapid succession as she barked in worry and a bit of fear, not sure what was happening, and she could feel so many different instincts and emotions hitting her all at once from seemingly two different places. She darted this way and that as Onyx in the blink of an eye leveled blast after blast at every last bush of the patch around his other half, leaving her startled and a little bit frightened as she called up to her mate from the ground cautiously. *O-Onyx?* She peeked through one eye, shielding herself gently with the other paw as she watched him pant and hover, his eyes slitted tight and his mouth steaming from its corners before he eventually descended back down to the ground, his pupils returning to normal. *What… just happened?* he asked, bewildered and more than a little frightened himself.

*I… A thorn bush pricked my side.* Misty looked down at her shoulder, tilting it for Onyx to see, *Why did you blast it all apart?* she questioned, slightly fearful, despite her unwavering trust that her Onyx wouldn't hurt her. *I-... I don't know…. I just… felt like I had to fight, and destroy whatever might hurt you. I wasn't even thinking-* He cut himself off suddenly, *Protective instincts… Misty, that's what those instincts we heard about were like, it was overwhelming! I couldn't stop myself!* A twinge of guilt and nervousness shot through Onyx as he spoke *Misty… I don't think we should get into any like, big arguments or play-fights with anyone for a while...* He quickly joked, but with quite an undertone of worry and seriousness in his voice that Misty easily picked up on, even as she laughed in response *I think that's a good idea my love…. A-are you okay?* She asked with a worried croon as she gently approached her other half again. He nodded gently and quickly regained his breath along with the rest of his composure, and as carefully as he could, brought his forehead to meet her own as he responded *Yeah… I'm ok. You're ok too right? I'm so sorry for scaring you Misty. I'd never hurt you, I swear.* He began to start rambling as he opened his eyes again to look at her, afraid he might have frightened her with what he'd just done. *Onyx. It's ok, I'm fine. I know you'd never hurt me. We're both still new to this Heart Bind thing, remember.* She quickly reassured her other half, and finally the tension left his shoulders for good as he settled back down and took in a deep breath of composure. *Thank the moon… Misty… um… c-can we not talk about this ever again, what I just did? It's… a little embarrassing.*

*Hehe, no chance Captain Brushfire* she retorted with a tease and a sticking out of her tongue, to which Onyx whimpered and ducked his head in embarrassment.

* * *

It was another few days of teasing that Onyx was forced to endure from his mate, before he found himself seeking out one of the other heart-bound pairs of the nest for advice, talking with a more stocky Swift-Wing by the name of Shade, his burnt-orange eyes making him somewhat unique among the nest. Their conversation had started off pleasantly enough, and it luckily didn't hurt when Misty lost interest, getting up to go do a little flying as Onyx remained, but Shade was known to be a fierce debater, and a rigid abider of tradition and hierarchy, and soon he was pressing on a… rather sensitive subject for Onyx…

*I do not need to justify my choice of mate to anyone I tell you!* Onyx pounded his paws on the dirt under him as he retorted to Shade's question, who was only growing more frustrated as well, repeating himself. *I am only asking why her! You know your family is important in the nest! Why do you feel the need to lower yourself in status is all I ask!*

*I am NOT going to talk about this!* Onyx fervently replied, growing agitated by Shade's stubbornness, it rivalled his own father's old stubbornness, and he, for the first time in a while since he and Misty had mated, remembered how the weight of expectations on his back felt… and he HATED IT. *But you could have courted someone at least of EQUAL status to yours! I know you were trying to impress a drakaina of higher status for a long time, but then suddenly you choose to mate with Misty, of all drakaina's, it makes no sense!* Shade retorted, growing frustrated with his fellow Swift-Wing, who was refusing to help him with answers as he tried to fit Misty-Onyx into his rules and hierarchy based worldview. In his frustration of course he was neglecting to notice how Onyx was beginning to snarl more and more with every word, the tension between the two of them growing as Shade only seemed to resemble Onyx's father from back then more and more.

*You had your reasons to choose your mate and so do I! Misty is beautiful and graceful and I don't care about her status! Nor do I care about my own!* He roared back at Shade, who was only more flabbergasted, and a bit too narrow minded of a dragon to notice himself snarling back as his world view was challenged so bluntly. *How could you not CARE!? Your family worked hard for their rank! Day after day, battle after battle! And you're willing to turn your tail on all that hard work?! It's - it's downright SHAMEFUL! It's a slap in the face to your family and their history!* He found himself beginning to dislike the backwards feeling Swift-Wing before him more and more, almost beginning to even loathe him as he roared out his last accusations to Onyx.

*I DON'T CARE IF IT'S SHAMEFUL! I LOVE HER AND THAT IS FINAL!* Onyx defended his mate with a screech and a thrash of his tail as his body posture shifted, his crouched stance low and angry as everything Shade said was striking at every soft spot Onyx had. And then Shade said exactly the wrong thing…

*WHAT DOES LOVE HAVE TO DO WITH ANY OF IT!?* Shade countered, and Onyx saw only red. He didn't even try to think of a retort, his mouth filling quickly with gas instead of words, forgetting about everything else entirely. His urge to Misty to not get into any heated arguments, the heart-bind itself, all was forgotten in the heat of the moment, and in that moment the two dragons suddenly heard the deadly whine of a diving swift wing coming from above. Lucky for them, it was enough to snap Onyx back to awareness as he recognized his mate's sound, just as she struck the ground surrounding Shade with plasma, landing hard and roaring at him with a power and ferocity none in the nest thought she would ever be capable of as she took up a defending position between her other half and the threat. Her eyes were thin slits and her blood was aflame as she inhaled, readying another heavy blast to fire at what was nothing but a danger to her other half in her instinct filled eyes.

*MISTY! STOP!* Onyx cried out as he pounced upon his other half, tackling her down before she could fire again, holding her mouth shut against the ground as best he could as he cried out to her, his eyes wide open and his thoughts clear. *MISTY HE'S NOT A THREAT! IT'S THE HEART-BIND!* he screamed out to her, trying to cut through all the instinct as Shade watched on and shrunk in submission, his own rage having vanished like a puff of smoke when he remembered they were newly bound, and what was happening right now because of it, because of him.

Misty screamed at Shade wordlessly and struggled against her other half's stronger paws, which were pinning her head and shoulders down into the dirt as Onyx bent his head over and screamed desperately at her again eye to eye. *MISTY MY LOVE! **LOOK AT ME**!* He pressed his nose to hers, and thank the moon, finally managed to get through. Misty's pupils widened back to their soft oval shape, her thrashing stopped, and her thoughts came back to her as she looked at her other half. *O-... Onyx?...* she mewled, her eyes then shooting wide open as she realized what was happening, stunned at herself and what she was about to do to her flock-mate. *The bind! Oh, Onyx I'm sorry, I-! SHADE!* she suddenly locked gazes with the orange eyes of swift wing in front of her, her mate gently letting his weight off and helping her to rise. *Shade I'm so sorry! Did I hurt you!?* she shrieked out her apology, the other Swift-Wing shaking his head and bowing to her. *No, I'm unharmed Misty. I'm sorry too, I forgot how the bind is early on for a moment... this is my fault. Forgive me…* He ducked his head in shame at her, his always abundant draconic pride quite damaged suddenly.

A moment of breathing to regain their composure, and Misty-Onyx looked at one another for a brief moment, pausing in relief before they replied together, *It's ok Shade.* *You're forgiven* they said to him formally with a nod of their heads, making sure there would be no lingering regrets over what just happened from either side. After a brief sigh of relief Shade bowed again and quickly took off to go find a place to sulk and try to forget about this. He still didn't understand WHY Onyx and misty were indeed Misty-Onyx, but perhaps he'll just let it be for now, and seek to understand another day.

*Onyx… I- I'm so sorry! I don't know what came over me! I just saw red and all I could think about was defending you!* She pressed her head to his. *I know my love, it's the heart bind, I felt the same thing with the thorn bushes* he crooned reassuringly to her, nuzzling his other half gently as she looked up to him and blinked in shock, understanding suddenly what had overcome him a few days ago. It was indeed like nothing else, it was as though suddenly every thought left your head, no matter how important, and the only thing left was instinct and rage, which took over like a sudden fog that clouded out everything else, pervasive and controlling. She remembered suddenly his plea with her after the patch was burned, and smiled with an embarrassed chuckle. *Ok, I promise not to mention the thorn bushes ever again love, for real this time...*


	4. Sixty Years Together

A/N: The song for this chapter is 'All I Am' by Jess Glynne.

Chapter Four – Sixty Years Together

Misty took solace in her other half's embrace, nuzzling up into his neck as they slept together. Another mating season had wound down and led into the spring, and yet despite their numerous efforts, the heart bound Swift-Wings once again were not rewarded with a kit.

Inside their minds the two of them connected, tangling together in the ways only heart-bound pairs could, the drakaina's gentle weeping interrupted as a reassuring and loving nuzzle of her other half against her cheek.

She opened her eyes to see her mate and herself atop the mesa where they had first become mates all those years ago, unlike that day though, the sky was overcast, the air was chilly, and even the ground, covered in the soft healthy grass as it was, seemed cold. They knew they were in their shared headspace together almost immediately, and Onyx knew his other half was not feeling good from how the weather there felt.

It had taken a while for them to learn to connect like this in the ten years since their heart-binding, and yet still it was often a struggle for them to meet here, most often occurring when one truly _needed _the help and love of the other. Over the years though it'd become easier to let each other in though, to let themselves be so exposed to each other, to be so vulnerable and open to one another.

*Misty, what's wrong?* Onyx gently warbled to his other half as she gently stood onto her four paws and hung her head in response.

*It's just… this is our tenth mating season trying to have a kit together Onyx… I'm… I'm worried.* She gently began, appreciating the warm nuzzles and hugs of her other half around her atop their special place, even if it was shrouded in fog and clouds. *Ever since Tempest and Ebony had Shadow, and Midnight…. And then Raven-Shade had Black Fire… They just all seemed to come so easily, on their first seasons of trying... I'm wondering if we've done something wrong in the moon's eye, that we're being held back from having one for some reason. I'm…. I'm worried that we might not ever succeed, my love…* She looked up to him, her body seeming to have shrunk and regressed in age, the despair clearly written across her face, and Onyx could swear he noticed a tear forming in her eyes.

It was so odd, how Misty would appear in her mindscape much of the time. She would of course stay herself, but sometimes she'd adopt the traits of humans she had seen, her fascination with them making her seem more and more like them at times, at least in here. Once she had even tried out a human form out of curiosity, of course she had gotten a lot wrong in the details if an actual human were to have been watching, for one thing, humans don't purr when they feel good, at least most of them don't, and smiling wasn't actually snarling.

Still, it was fun for her just to try it on, and explore walking and running around Onyx, riding atop his back, and doing whatever she thought to try atop two legs together with her mate. Tonight though she merely cried over their mating struggles, her Onyx consoling her as best he could, holding her between his forepaws like a fledgling. *We'll have a kit eventually my love, we're both still young, we have time…* He crooned at her, the wind gently blowing across them as he wrapped his wings around them both. Misty gently sighed and nodded as she brushed her cheek up her lover's neck.

*I hope you're right, Onyx. I'd like to get the chance to see our kit grow, and to be good parents together…* She began as the memory of her own parents flashed into being in front of them, *I was so young when Smoke and Twilight died, they never got the chance to be parents, really…* The memory played of the two older Swift-Wings looking back one last time at their only daughter, telling her to stay put where it was safe before they flew out into the raid together to defend the nest for what would be their last time. *And I know your happiness and freedom weren't all that high on your parents priorities for you...*

She nuzzled him gently as his memory replayed in front of them, of the night he'd informed them of his and Misty's mating, and how they had paced around in bewilderment, doing all they could to try not to yell and scold him all night, while badgering him with the same question over and over again. *Why?* They asked him constantly, trying to come to grips with why their only son had forsaken his place in the nest for the sake of his lust, it seemed to them.

*I just, I know we could do better, and I want that chance Onyx, with _you…_*

She turned her gaze up toward her mate, her other half, her Onyx, her eyes full of determination, and also with sorrow at having yet still not gotten their kit and thus, their chance at parenthood. Onyx looked deep into those milky blue eyes of his other half, still welled up with tears but so full of longing and hope for the day they'd get their chance to be Sire and Dam together, and he shared in that wish with her as he pulled her in tight and crooned gently.

*We'll get that chance my love, I know we will, we're going to be great together and we just need to keep trying. One day, we'll be so proud of them and get to show them the sky, and give them all the love that we missed out on.* The clouds around them was pierced with golden sunlight that shone right on the two of them, clearing away a lot of that fog and revealing the tiny, black Swift-Wing fledgling that Onyx had imagined into being against Misty's side.

The drakaina whimpered gently as she began to well up again with an eager joy in her eyes, sweeping her tail right around the fledgling and pressing it close to her side and beneath her wing, keeping it warm and safe as she nuzzled her Onyx affectionately, looking back as the little dragon opened her eyes and looked up at her dam. She had bright blue eyes just like her own, and her back was peppered with little white freckles that resembled the night sky, and as she gave a soft purr and leaned into her dam, the heart bound pair looked to each other again with a hopeful gaze. Misty gently pulled the tiny Swift-Wing even closer, treating it with all the love and attention it deserved, the most precious thing in the whole world, their future kit...

* * *

Onyx gulped again as he focused on walking, purposefully planting one paw in front of another, Shade behind him sighing in irritation at how slow his friend was moving, wishing he'd just get to where they were going already. *Sorry Shade, this is, just… I can't help but be nervous..* He apologized as he took a breath and picked up the pace, padding his way through the nest towards Tempest and Ebony's cave. *Well this _WAS your _idea!* Shade countered, thankful Onyx was at least moving again as he continued to follow, knowing it wasn't much further now. Onyx simply huffed to himself in response, yeah yeah, it was his idea to do this, but it was still nerve wracking for him. Before long he was there though, standing in front of Tempest and Ebony's family cave. He steadied himself and gave a greeting warble into it.

*Onyx? What brings you here?* Tempest looked up and tilted his head in confusion from where he was resting, his mate alongside him, protecting her two kits beneath her wing in between the two of them.

*You mean you didn't tell them _beforehand_?* Shade made his presence known by inquiring at Onyx, who replied by looking down and rubbing one forepaw with the other.

*That, I probably should have done, yeah. But I knew I couldn't come here twice, I'd be too nervous…* He replied back to the orange eyed Swift-Wing, who huffed but understood well enough. Suddenly one of the two kits poked his head from under Ebony's wing and spotted the two, asking a confused question to the open air.

*Mom? Who are _they_?* He squeaked out of curiosity, sneaking out from under Ebony's wing to come up to Onyx and sniff him, then slipping over to Shade and doing the same.

Tempest answered for Ebony, seeing as he knew both of them much better than Ebony did. *Midnight, this is Onyx and Shade. They're not as high in the hierarchy as we are, so you've never met them, but I was there when Onyx heart-bound with his mate, Misty, and Shade helps me on patrols sometimes. They're friends.* He nodded and introduced the two to his son, who sat in front of the both of them and scanned them over a few times.

*Oh! Okay then! Hey Shadow! Are you gonna sit there under momma's wing _all _night or come say hi too?* He teased his older brother, who grumbled from under her wing and reluctantly got up himself, he'd rather have kept on napping to be blunt, but, as Ebony pulled her wing away, there wasn't much choice in the matter it seemed.

*Hello Onyx, Shade.* He greeted the two with a bit of a gruff attitude, but not so much as to be rude, just a little annoyed at having his nap cut short was all.

Ebony spoke up in answer to Midnight's earlier question. *You two remember that Raven-Shade were going to watch you both so you can play with Black Fire?*. ~and let me and Tempest have some free time to go flying together~ she thought to herself with a glance at her mate, Tempest seeming to read her mind and chuckle in agreement.

*Oh! Well then let's go!* Midnight gleefully bound over to Shade, barking at his older brother impatiently. Shadow gave a huff and padded over to join them, pausing mid step suddenly as a good question hit him. *Wait, if Raven-Shade are Black Fire's dam and sire, what's Onyx doing here?* He asked with a tilt of his head.

*A good question actually,* Tempest agreed, turning his gaze to the dark blue eyed dragon, expecting an answer.

Onyx gulped visibly as he scanned the floor nervously before gathering the courage to answer again. *I had heard Raven-Shade were going to be sitting for you, and Misty and I really wanted to join in, so we could help!* His gaze shot up at that last part, before drifting down again in embarrassment as he tacked on the REAL reason to the end, *A-and we wanna see what having a kit is like too for a little while…* He quietly admitted, and Ebony let out a sweet laugh in response.

*Ohhhh Onyx…* She smiled at him as his cheeks turned blue and he hid behind his wings, by the moon since when was he so shy and nervous? Well, at any rate, that nervousness seemed to help convince Tempest at the very least. He knew Misty-Onyx were trustworthy enough for this, he'd gotten friendly with them since being the first dragon they encountered after heart-binding, enough he was willing to call them friends, and trust them with things like this.

He'd actually confided in them his thoughts about possibly heart-binding with Ebony if the need ever arose, and thus asked what it was like for them to _be _bound. He also knew how much they were longing for a kit as well, and how much it would mean to them. Tempest and Ebony knew Raven-Shade were trustworthy for entirely different reasons, they had earned their trust from showing steadfastness and resolve in their work of patrolling the Swift-Wing territory alongside the older dragon.

It was Ebony who didn't know Onyx or Misty, but that wasn't much of a hindrance. She was more open to ideas anyways, it was in her nature to trust that most everyone was good in heart, that there _were _no bad people, just people who had lost sight of being good by their desire to accomplish good for either themselves alone or a group at large. Tempest would sometimes think her naive because of that, but he also knew what she thought was oddly wise at the same time. In his mind, it was _his _job to keep them both grounded, so to speak, to make sure that her wise yet at the same time short-sighted belief didn't do anything to jeopardize them or the nest.

Midnight was the first to gleefully squeak and dash out into nuzzling Onyx's side, Shadow huffing in exasperation as the older, more mature brother, doing his best to act more grown up than he was, and to be different from Midnight of course. Still, he padded out to join with Onyx and Shade with Ebony and Tempest's seeming approval of the idea.

*Now you all go on, Onyx and Shade must both be feeling pretty cold and lonely by now!* She softly demanded, suddenly the two of them indeed noticing how empty they had felt inside, being so far away from their other halves like this. They hadn't noticed until it was mentioned, but suddenly the desire to hurry and outright rush back towards Raven and Misty was crashing over them both like the tide. They both looked at each other and saw it in each other's expression, and so with the quickest of nods to Tempest and Ebony, they were off, Midnight and Shade running to keep up with their pace.

Shade and Onyx quickly lead them back to Raven-Shade's cavern, where the two Swift-Wing's respective other halves awaited with much anticipation. It was euphoric how good seeing their respective other halves was, it was like feeling heart-bound for the first time all over again, and they all felt it. So much so that it took a moment to gather themselves from the silence they were in and come back to the world, the two new fledglings luckily busy enough surveying their new surroundings to notice.

*So? Did they agree?* Misty piped up first, Raven giving a brief huff as she pointed her nose to the two fledglings following behind their respective mates as if to say *Are you really that _stupid?_*, and even Black Fire rolled his eyes. Misty didn't much care though about her friend's attitude, she'd gotten used to it over the years that Raven-Shade had been getting to know and become friends with her and her other half, and that was just how the dark yellow eyed drakaina was.

She especially didn't care what Raven was thinking about her when she was too busy being swept up in glee at the sight of the adorable little fledgling Swift-Wings making way into their cavern section. Misty bounced in place, even though she was trying not to, restraining herself as best she could, much to Onyx's amusement as he nudged Midnight to go say hi to *Aunt Misty* as he'd been playfully referring to her as along the walk back here.

Shade simply shook his head, despite his smile, nodding for Shadow to go on and introduce himself to *just Raven* as Midnight had mockingly started referring to her as, much to Shade's annoyance, an emotion which the young Swift-Wing relished in being able to cause in the orange eyed drake. And then of course came the introduction of Black Fire, well, something like that at least, as it turned out Midnight was already wrestling with him before his parents even had the chance to finish saying his name.

It was a few short minutes of introductions and such before the inevitable was asked. *Why did you all heart-bind anyways?* Midnight blurted out to the adults of the room as a group after winning his brief match with the other fledgling, the two pairs looking at each other's other halves respectively and chuckling, before looking at each other as to decide who would go first.

The three fledglings sat before them, waiting surprisingly patiently, seemingly interested in hearing the answer. Black Fire had not yet been told why Raven-Shade had bound, only what the bind was and what it meant. Midnight was just hyper-curious, and his older brother was more interested in an interesting story than in play-fighting.

Finally it was Onyx who spoke up, deciding he and Misty would be first. Misty-Onyx seemed quite eager to tell their story to the little kits before them, and besides, this was something that they and Raven-Shade had been meaning to discuss again themselves at some point, but hadn't come up yet since that one day a little under a dozen winters ago now that nearly led to a big fight.

Misty-Onyx began their tale, detailing how Onyx's life had been unfairly controlled, along with the weight of expectations put onto him by his sire that he never enjoyed, much to Shade's confusion as he tried to understand. Black Fire luckily hadn't been raised SO strictly, Raven-Shade had gotten enough of a rubbing-off of Misty-Onyx to somewhat temper the way they parented it seemed when compared to their own parents.

Onyx made sure to take the time to elaborate how he felt about his upbringing after seeing Shade and Shadow both struggling to get why it had gotten so under Onyx's scales, until the point Shade seemed to understand, at least to some degree. Shadow seemingly felt similar to Shade in being confused about why Onyx would turn his back on his obligations, even after the time spent explaining it, but Midnight of course was right there alongside him the whole while, with Black Fire splitting the difference as Onyx finally reached the point in the story where he and Misty became mates, and he let his other half take over.

She talked about how alone she felt, and how worried she was about finding love, until realizing how it had always been right there in front of her, and transitioned into the night with the Fire-Spinner, and how she had bound with Onyx not just because of the need to save his life, but also because she couldn't bear the thought of living alone again without someone like Onyx to be there at her side, someone who loved her for _her_, and understood her _so well_.

She talked about how they were alike, and made up for each other's loneliness and differences, how they had grown into loving one another so much, that when the option to heart-bind came up, it never even crossed either of their minds that they might regret binding someday down the line, because they knew they never would. Even the stoic and dead quiet Raven, a drakaina known for how immovable she seemed to be emotionally, gave a gentle purr of affection at the two of them, before quickly getting back to her guarded and calculated state; of course not before Midnight could laugh and poke fun at her about it however, which lead to him getting tackled by Black Fire and another brief wrestling match ensued. One which Black fire managed to win this time before letting Midnight back up so they could continue listening.

Midnight loved Misty-Onyx's story, judging by his wagging tail, though Shadow was more considered, seemingly a bit bored by it, or at least nonplussed. Raven-Shade combined were thoughtful, not sharing in the reasons for Misty-Onyx's heart-binding, but seemingly having gotten the full understanding as to why, at long last. Which lead into Shade beginning with _HIS _story. *Well, Raven and I didn't heart bind for anything like why Misty-Onyx did. We never had the same kind of… problems, in life and family, I suppose.* He spoke evenly, reflecting as he thought about where to begin since there wasn't really a beginning point for him and Raven, the two had always known one another, like Misty and Onyx had, though without the family tension. Both of their families were high in the hierarchy, and when it came time to choose a mate, both of them saw each other as entirely logical choices as mates.

They shared almost the same status, both valued their positions in the hierarchy, and always thought things through in terms of benefits and costs, and the ease of which the two of them worked well together far outweighed the slim chance of finding a drake or drakaina of higher status to court who would share their life philosophies. Besides, both of their families already approved of each other, and were insinuating that they would be a good pair together anyways, and they were right as it turned out. After a few years of being mated, the question of the heart bind had come up when Shade had developed a nasty sickness of some sort that took Ekeren a full two weeks to help him recover from.

*For us, it wasn't an emotional decision, it just made sense to do it. If I ever were to get sick like that again, Raven's strength would help me get better faster, and vice-versa. If either of us ever got hurt, we would be much stronger if we were bound than if we weren't. The benefits far outweighed the cost of one of us outliving the other.* Shade explained, his tone still flat and, dare it be said, even cold.

But to Raven-Shade, it still made all the sense in the world, and was affectionate in its own, unique way. A way in which Shadow seemed to be responding to somewhat, by the way he was nodding. Meanwhile Midnight's jaw was slackened, and he couldn't help but feel flabbergasted at how different the two pairs were, and how alien it felt to try and understand Raven-Shade after hearing Misty-Onyx's story.

How could they be so different and yet have become friends?! It was something that would probably be stuck in the back of his mind for a long, long time, perhaps even a few decades down the line, the notion that those so different to each other could become friends when all sense said they should be enemies, or at the very least rivals.

Misty of course was the first to speak up once Raven-Shade had finished up their story, offering to the kits to join them in flying off to catch some fish, which the trio excitedly agreed to, having not eaten for a few hours at that point. So off they all went to fish together, Misty teaching Midnight a few things about being smooth and delicate in flight, while Shade taught Shadow how to be more powerful and fast when diving.

Indeed the two young Swift-Wings were bonding well with their particular favourite pairs, and Black Fire watching on for the most part between playing with the other fledglings. It was quite astonishing how well suited Midnight was to Misty-Onyx, and how like Raven-Shade Shadow was turning out to be, even if neither were even a full dozen winters old yet. Misty and Onyx both thought to themselves that they'd have to ask Tempest and Ebony to do this again sometime with Midnight, even after only half a night had gone by.


	5. And Then Something Strange

A/N: The song for this chapter is 'How Can A Moment Last Forever' by Celine Dion.

And Then Something Strange

*What do you mean, Midnight has returned and says he's heart-bound to a human?!* the queen snapped back at Shadow, feeling like he _must _have been playing some kind of bad joke on her, one which she did _not _approve of. Misty-Onyx couldn't help but overhear from their perch together in the gathering place, where they laid together atop a ledge a few rows down from where the Queen was being briefed by the sentry.

*It's true my queen! I swear it!* He ducked his head submissively still as he continued, *Midnight says that he did it to save it, that it would have died if he hadn't, and that he would fight to protect it.*

Phoebe huffed a breath and thought for a moment before asking her next question. *Does the human look like it'd be a threat?* she asked very plainly.

*I… I don't think so my queen, it looked very weak, and small. I could have easily killed it if Midnight hadn't stopped me from doing so.* Shadow replied with a bit of regret that he hadn't killed the human, but then again, he couldn't risk his brother's life if they truly were heart-bound, as slim a chance as it was that he was telling the truth.

*You will do no such thing Shadow! You will escort them to one of the far healing chambers and allow them time to rest and recover. I will speak with them myself when they are sufficiently rested.* Phoebe instructed, to which Shadow nodded and bid his queen farewell before flying back off to guide the supposedly heart-bound pair into the nest.

* * *

Misty-Onyx looked at each other in dubious curiosity at what they overheard, Onyx speaking up first. *You think it's possible? A Swift-Wing heart binding to a human?* he tilted his head at Misty, who shrugged her shoulders in reply.

*I'm not sure. I mean, at the very least it's good to hear that Midnight might be back! And if he has brought a human, it couldn't possibly be a bad human, or else why would he go out of his way to protect it like that?* she pondered aloud, Onyx giving a chuckle and a warble at his other half's compassion and openness.

*You know, sometimes you really DO sound a lot like Selena. Maybe we should try to move up in the hierarchy so you can take her place as Queen-to-be!* he teased her with a laugh and a nosing to her side, making her giggle and playfully bat him on the nose with her forepaw in response.

*If the queen heard you talking like THAT she'd demote us even further _down _it!* she joked right back with a smile and a croon for her mate.

* * *

*Who are you?* the Queen demanded, Misty and Onyx watching together from the side and below, their perch almost underneath the very one the human and Midnight were on themselves.

*Toothless-Hiccup of the Pack of Berk!*

Misty-Onyx looked at each other for a moment; so it _was _true, they _were _heart bound, or at least claimed to be. Then again, why would Midnight, or rather, Toothless, lie? Dragons wouldn't lie without a damn good reason, especially to one as powerful and important as the queen of his own pack! The two Swift-Wings turned their attention back to the duo as they continued to converse with the queen, laying out how they had arrived here one piece at a time.

Misty-Onyx both perked their ears and heads up in concern when Shadow and Toothless began arguing. Hiccup shouted "TOOTHLESS, _HOLD_!", and then the two dragons suddenly were even more stunned, watching as Hiccup soothed the Swift-Wing's rage as easily as one would stamp out a flaming stick with a paw. Onyx looked to his mate as she stared in complete attention at the human, her eyes never leaving him once even as he moved.

Her pupils had gone from the worried and on edge slits they were when Shadow and Toothless were ready to come to blows, to wide, round wonder as they stayed locked on Hiccup, her fascination as deep as the ocean. It was tempting for her to go and follow the human and Toothless when they had been dismissed by the Queen, but she wasn't going to deny him his rest, he did look awfully weak, needing to be carried in fact by his dragon.

Instead she decided to turn her attention back to Onyx finally, *I do hope we get to hear from them again! They tell good stories* she said, making her mate chuckle. *I bet we'll see them again, there's still lots of questions to answer. I suspect the queen dismissed them because she was only concerned with whether they would be a threat to the nest tonight, or rather, that the human would be, what did he call himself again?*

*Hiccup, my love,* Misty replied with a nod.

*Ah yes, Hiccup. She could tell Hiccup needed rest before she'd ask him anything more, I think everyone could.* And thus it was Misty's turn to giggle and press her head under Onyx's to nuzzle him lovingly. *You're right, he did look very tired, didn't he?*

* * *

Rumours and stories of Midnight, or rather Toothless, as he apparently wanted to be called now, and his rider swirled throughout the nest like a particularly bad illness. It was hard to separate fact from what might be fiction with so many conflicting stories and ideas buzzing about. Some said that the human was a dragon hypnotist, that he had enslaved Midnight in a mind snare and was controlling him. Other said that Toothless was telling the truth wholeheartedly, that he _had _heart-bound with this 'Hiccup', and that he'd done it to save his life.

Onyx for one was the sceptical type, he didn't take stock in either side just yet, especially because he was sure the Queen would sort this all out and gather everyone to discuss the issue at some point, and he'd make up his mind then. Misty on the other hand couldn't help but wiggle a bit in anticipation at the idea, mostly for the idea that it might in fact be true, that all humans weren't the same, that there were good ones and bad ones out there, just like dragons, and how maybe Selena, and Ebony before her, weren't so crazy after all.

Mostly Misty was fascinated by humans because of their dexterity and abilities, how they seemed to be able to do such incredible things with such ease. Such as the last time that she'd watched her Onyx fend off a human from the nest in a raid, how the human he fought seemed to throw and catch his sharpened piece of metal as he spun and ducked along the ground atop only two paws with an ease that rivalled how the most graceful of dragons danced through the wind, almost as though humans could control the land as easily as the dragons controlled the skies. How could he possibly keep such balance on what was certainly an unsure footing with only two paws? How could he hold such an object so delicately and yet so securely? It was an endless source of fascination for the drakaina.

* * *

It wasn't but a day before Onyx's prediction came true, the heart bound human-dragon pair had indeed been summoned yet again to the gathering chamber, it would seem Misty wasn't the only one curious about them and their history, as Selena had asked the Queen to bring them so she could ask how they came to be heart-bound. Misty made sure to get a good perch with her Onyx when she heard why they were being summoned, one that stood right in front of where Hiccup and Toothless would be telling their tale. Onyx of course didn't care so much, but he loved that his other half was so enthralled by the nest's visitors, and he wrapped a wing around the drakaina as he lay on his belly and got comfortable for the story.

Misty found herself chuckling often at the two's wackier antics and the ironies of their backstory, hissing with the others at the hiss-worthy parts, and by the end, she felt like everything had fallen into place and made total sense. It was only after the queen had finished listening and dismissed them that the drakaina's head drooped down all the way to the floor and she let out a sigh.

*What is it Misty?* Onyx tilted his head and pondered aloud to her, feeling her sorrow through the bind.

*I just… I'm never gonna get the chance to meet them is all, and I kinda want to…* Misty pouted some more.

*Why couldn't we meet them?* Onyx questioned back, a little forgetful about why as he was just concerned about making his Misty feel better.

*Our rank and theirs… Toothless, even if he has been gone for a while, he's much higher rank than we are in the hierarchy, and Hiccup said he's the Alpha-to-be of their pack, so him and Toothless are even _FURTHER _off if we use_ their_ hierarchy. We can't just go speak to them!* She explained as she turned to her mate, who gave her a reassuring nuzzle in support.

*I understand, Misty. Well, perhaps we'll cross paths with them at some point still. If not, I suspect this won't be the last time they're here before the Queen before they leave, maybe we'll get to hear some more stories!*

The drakaina sighed and settled her head against her mate's flank as he wrapped a wing around her. *Perhaps you're right… At least I hope you're right…*

* * *

The next few days went by and the pair followed their normal routines, Onyx and Misty helping catch fish to feed the flock and Onyx standing guard at his usual post throughout the day at one of the Eastern cave entrances. The chatter among the dragons was almost nothing but about Hiccup and Toothless, the dark rumours persisting about as much as the good ones, though they weren't gaining much traction.

Mostly it was stories that the kits would tell their parents that found their way into circulation among the grapevine, and Misty, and even Onyx to some degree, wanted to hear them all. Unfortunately neither found themselves crossing paths with the two, but then again it seemed that was because Toothless-Hiccup would only spend their time in one of two places, either the nursery telling stories to the kits, or their healing cavern, both were far away from wherever Misty or Onyx would normally be throughout their day.

t began to matter a little less to the drakaina, as she began to accept that she wouldn't get to meet Toothless-Hiccup in person, and as she felt like she was learning plenty about them already from all the passed along stories anyways. Besides, her Onyx was doing well to keep her occupied, as he'd learned to do over the years of course.


	6. To Helheim with Hierarchy

A/N: The song for this chapter is 'Stand by You' by Rachel Platten

Chapter Six – To Helheim with Hierarchy

*COME* Misty-Onyx snapped awake from their nap together in the daylight outside and quickly ducked into the mouth of the volcano to the gathering place at the queen's command. They waited as the remainder of the nest filtered their way in, including the nest's visiting duo as well. Finally the queen spoke again, warning the nest of the hunters plans to attack tonight. A shiver shot its way up Onyx's spine as his eyes turned to slits, his thoughts darting to how he would be one of the nest's defenders once again, and the danger he would be in because of it.

Misty's voice shakily whispered aloud, *O-Oh no…* and Onyx immediately turned his attention to his other half, who pressed herself close against him, as he did to her, engulfing her under his wing and crooning comfort and reassurances that he would be alright. For the rest of the meeting the two barely managed to keep enough attention on the queen to listen to the plan, they were too busy comforting one another, and after the gathering had been dismissed, Onyx knew he had to go to his post, and yet, he couldn't help but stall just a few minutes longer to be with his other half.

He held her close and pressed his forehead to hers, gently licking at her and even pressing his paws over top of her own, switching between holding his eyes closed to relish the physical sensations of his drakaina against him, and then staring deep into her beautifully light blue eyes, memorizing once more the way the clouds in them were shaped, the pattern of her scutes, everything about her. *Go my love.* She finally urged her mate to go, he couldn't delay forever after all, and with a nod and one last lick, he beat his wings and leapt into the air, dashing down the tunnels to his position.

The wait for the humans to arrive and attack was agonizing, the Swift-Wing growing restless, finding himself thinking occasionally that he WANTED them to just attack already, if only to end the unbearably long delay. A lot of him hoped that such a long delay meant the humans might have changed their minds, that they in fact had remembered just what kind of threat they were about to face in the form of an entire pack of Swift-Wings, the most fearsome and dangerous of all dragon kind, but of course that hope was dashed once he spotted the faint light of their torches in the forests approaching right towards them.

He huffed a sigh and readied himself as he watched the first wave of attackers fly from their positions to intercept them, another group peeling out past them in the direction they had originated from, tilting his head in confusion for a moment before vaguely remembering something about Hiccup requesting they go and retrieve something from the hunters ships, and the queen ordering Shadow's hunting party to go and perform the deed. His thoughts were suddenly snapped back to the world around him as he heard the whistle and _thwick_ of an arrow striking into the wall of the cave entrance beside him, and a moment later the cry of one of his pack mates being hit themselves, crashing down to the ground in a heap, writhing in pain and calling out for help.

His flock mates did their jobs, defending the downed drake with a ferocity that only Swift-Wings could generate, keeping the hunters at bay from the downed dragon while the raid continued, Onyx hating having to stay in his spot, but doing so dutifully, scanning for any targets he could hit from where he was standing. He found a few, managing to knock away a bow from one of the hunters, only to watch wide eyed as the hunter beside him caught sight of the shot's origin, and aimed right for it. Onyx started to turn, trying to pre-emptively dodge the projectile, but it was too late, and he again heard the tell-tale rush of air approaching, and then felt a sudden sharp pain piecing his side under his wing.

Misty let out a sudden cry in pain, shooting up from where she was laying in the deeper caverns of the nest, *AGH! NO! ONYX!* Her eyes sharpened into harsh slits as she suddenly was running at full speed, launching into the air and flying fast, following the strings of the heart bind like a compass towards her mate. She felt the sizzling pain echoes in her wing, ignoring it as best she could as she quickly realized she wasn't heading to where her mate's post was, but instead towards the tunnel leading to the healing caverns, the others had managed to pull him out of the fight and were bringing him to be healed! Good, that was good! She entered the healing caverns and landed fast, watching and waiting with a whimper.

* * *

*MY LOVE!* she cried out and rushed over to her mate's side as their flock-mate deposited him down form off their back in the healing cavern. She whimpered as she watched him struggle with the pain of the arrow lodged under his wing, he caught sight of her as his pain ebbed for a moment, giving a smile of gladness to see her before the pain came roaring back full force, making him cry out before he could so much as utter her name. *Hold still! I can't get the arrow out if you're squirming!* the drakaina pleaded, Onyx quickly nodding as he squeezed his eyes shut and gritted his fangs, trying his best to lift his wing and hold still as he felt her bite down on the arrow in her teeth.

Misty's pull was as gentle, and yet as firm as she could make it, but the arrow was lodged in there, and the tugging only got it out so far. Onyx struggled to remain motionless while Misty pulled harder and harder, the arrowhead finally hitting some soft spot within the Swift-Wing that made him yelp out in pain, and he couldn't stop himself from thrashing once before catching himself. Combined with Misty's pulling however, that one unstoppable spasm was enough to cause the arrow to snap in two, just a mere inch above where its shaft disappeared into the dragon's scales.

*OH NO! I'M SO SORRY!* she cried out as the sharp pain made her suddenly shudder as well, it had gotten worse and she could feel it. The drakaina tried desperately to get a hold of the arrow again in her teeth, but there wasn't enough left of it for her to get any purchase on, making her whimper and whine as she failed again and again to pull it out. She hadn't noticed how much time she was eating up with each attempt, nor the other Swift-Wings arriving in the healing caverns with arrows embedded in them as well, each squirming and writhing in pain. *O-Onyx, I- I can't reach it anymore! What do we do?!* She finally gave up her efforts on the arrow, padding quickly to her mate's front to see him and do all she could to ease her mate's pain with gentle croons and nuzzles.

*I don't know. Oh Misty, IT HURTS* He groaned as another wave of pain crashed over him, making him writhe and pant for breaths as Misty again whimpered and tried to think. She watched her mate try to speak time and again, only to be interrupted by the sharp burning sensation of the wound piercing through him. ~HICCUP!~ Misty thought suddenly, those little human fingers could maybe grab hold of the arrow!

She was about to turn and dash off to find him, but suddenly stopped herself, frozen in her tracks. ~I-... We can't though! He's so high in the hierarchy, him and Toothless… always hanging around the queen-to-be… they're even the alphas-to-be of their own pack! They wouldn't help ones as low down as us…~ she hung her head in dismay, whimpering sadly before another burst of pain from Onyx echoed through her and made her wince. She turned back to look at her other half, by the moon he was in so much pain… she didn't need to feel it's echoes, it was all there in his face and in the way he writhed against the ground. She fought with herself with every groan her mate roared out, battling between being proper and following the hierarchy, and not caring at all about being bumped even further down it for overstepping her bounds if it meant even the chance to end her mate's suffering.

Finally the loud call of the queen's victory roar startled her out of her internal battle and brought her gaze to her mate, whose pain wasn't letting up, only seeming to get worse by the moment, same as the other six injured Swift-Wings there in the healing cavern. In that moment she realized, it wasn't just Onyx that Hiccup could help, he might be able to help all of them. This wasn't just about her and her other half, this was for the good of the nest! She HAD to get Hiccup to come help! And with her decision made, she dashed away from the healing cavern and flew down the tunnels towards the gathering place, shrieking for the human as loud as she could. *HICCUP! HELP US! WE NEED YOU! HELP!*

* * *

Onyx watched through weary eyes as his mate turned and dashed off, wanting so much to stop her from leaving his side deep down, but through the bind he could feel she had an idea, something that might help, and so he squeezed his eyes shut and tried to focus on his breathing to deal with the pain as he waited for her to return. For a moment he had enough of a lapse in the hurting to have a thought. ~Most arrows don't hurt this bad, or burn like this one does! What is different about these arrows -AAUGH!~ His thoughts were cut off again as another sudden jolt of fiery sensations filled his nerves and burned at his brain. He was then relieved to see his Misty return, watching her come back and immediately huddle against his side, crooning to him and doing her best to reassure him as the heart bound human and his Swift-Wing followed after her into the healing caverns with the elder Ekeren. Misty's words buzzed in his head, he could barely hear them through the sharp jolts that distracted his mind, which was distracted even further seeing the human there, looking so sad at the sight of the injured dragons around him. He felt Misty nudging him to roll over, and he obeyed as he watched Hiccup bringing his hand closer to him tentatively.

His thoughts swirled in his head as the hurting subsided for a moment, allowing him to wonder about Hiccup. The hierarchy was the last thing on his mind at this point, as despite their status, here not only stood the two alphas-to-be, but also one of their own elders and the queen-to-be herself standing right before him, their attention all on him and his other half! Thus, his mind was free to go elsewhere. Sure he had heard about all the nice things Hiccup was doing, keeping the kits entertained and what-not, and Misty clearly seemed to trust him enough to go get him to help.

Still though, the sceptical part of him thought for a moment about all the rumours that were being spread, how he secretly was a hunter, how he'd brainwashed Midnight, or was holding him hostage somehow, that he was a scout for the hunters, trying to win over their trust with kindness while he gathered information to give to other hunters to hurt them with. In that moment he was frozen solid, except for his eyes, darting back and forth between Hiccup's face and those outstretched fingers, trying to decipher truth from fiction as he suddenly was hit by another jolt from the wound. He took that leap of faith, and through his gritted teeth and clenched shut eyes managed to cry out to the human *Help me, please.*

Onyx struggled to stay awake and aware after feeling Hiccup gently ease free the arrow from under his scales, wondering why it still hurt so much even after the arrow was gone and Misty had licked clean his wound. He pieced together from what Hiccup and Ekeren were discussing that there was a poison on the arrow, and that there was a cure, but it was going to hurt, and take some time to gather the ingredients for anyway. He sighed and closed his eyes, trying to deal with the pain and the weakness the poison was causing him, only mildly aware of his surroundings, even if he could hear Toothless and Misty keeping him company.

His mind wandered for a bit, wondering if Toothless remembered them, the time he, Misty, and Raven-Shade had sat for them, especially when he noticed Black Fire walk in. He was a bit too lost in fighting to do anything or even speak to them, and Misty was similarly busy helping Toothless and Ekeren bury the arrows and tend to him, helping keep her other half awake. Finally though, Onyx felt Hiccup's hands under his chin, lifting his head gently and looking into his eyes, warning him about the cure being unpleasant. *Being healed…rarely is…but it's better than…staying sick.* He opened his mouth and accepted the human's help. The taste of the cure was AWFUL. Sure, it wasn't like it had eels in it, but he struggled to swallow it nonetheless, before the instinct to spit it out could make him do so.

Immediately it felt as though his whole body was flooded with the squirming and itching of bees under his scales and in his head. He thrashed and roared and cringed as he tried to shake away all the pain that suddenly was somehow double than what it was before, every part of his body's insides seemed to stab and burn, he couldn't even think to listen or pay attention to his other half crying out for him as he thrashed, trying to endure what felt like his entire body being stabbed from the inside. The dragon couldn't remember how many times he'd passed out before coming to only to feel the pain again and writhe in agony from it. He could have sworn that he heard Black Fire arguing with Hiccup, and his other half trying to nuzzle and help him through.

After what felt like ages, he finally came to one last time, all the pain suddenly gone, both from the cure and from the root. It was as though nothing was ever wrong with him in the first place. He quickly searched for and found his other half with his gaze, and immediately she was nuzzling and licking him back to awareness as he brought her under his wing and let her know the pain was gone.

Misty whimpered gently in relief as she let Onyx rest his head atop her own and intertwine their tails together, thanking Hiccup for the cure as the two of them together worried about resting while Ekeren ushered Toothless and Hiccup out of the caverns. Black Fire stayed behind as well, giving his family friends a gentle lick each. *I'm glad you're both ok.* Onyx pressed his forehead to Black Fires own and sighed. *So am I. It seems Hiccup really is what he says after all.* Onyx sighed gently, so very glad he took that leap of faith and trusted the human.

Misty's voice suddenly butted in, *I knew he would be.*

She got a gentle smack atop her head from Black Fire, who laughed and responded again *Yeah, yeah, doesn't mean you should gloat about it.* He elicited a chuckle from all three, finding himself beginning to question what he was thinking about the human, what Eclipse was so convinced he was, at least until the next Swift-Wing was ready to brave the cure, the thrashing and shrieking from the ensuing burning interrupting them.

Onyx couldn't watch, he was already trying to forget what that pain was like, however Misty watched on in sympathy and worry for the next few minutes until the struggling and yelling was replaced by the thud of an exhausted but also completely healthy dragon falling back to the ground. Black Fire and Misty were doing a good job of keeping Onyx company and distracting him from all the commotion as Ekeren noticed how the drakaina watched each dragon take the cure with fascination, one after the other.

* * *

It was a few days later, after helping Toothless-Hiccup with their new tailfin and talking about the heart-bind, that the new friends found themselves all together in the gathering place, thinking about more things to talk about, or rather, Hiccup and Misty were, Onyx and Toothless didn't seem to be much for asking questions, just answering them to avoid boredom. With Misty's fascination with humans however, and there being one right here who could actually talk with her, well, the questions seemed endless. Many of them brought Toothless and Hiccup both to laughter.

"No, Misty, hehe, I do not sometimes sleep upside down, in fact, being upside down is very VERY rare for hu- WOAH!" Hiccup quickly found himself dangling upside down thanks to Toothless' playful paws snatching him and holding him up high in the air by his good leg. "Ha haaaa, very funny bud. Can you let me down now please?" Hiccup asked with a deadpan upside down stare at his other half, who chuckled and indeed set the human back down gently enough, Misty fighting to think-speak through her laughter. *He always was the more playful brother!*

*Huh?* Toothless suddenly tilted head and looked to the drakaina in confusion, whose eyes opened up wider as she realized that Toothless might not remember. *OH! Sorry. Toothless…How much do you remember of your life here in the nest?* Misty asked carefully, inching closer to the dragon in question.

*Nothing, not a single thing except for knowing who my family members were, that's it* he admitted.

The drakaina warbled cautiously, *and what about extended family members?...* she sounded as gentle as she could, Hiccup watching intently between the two of them, Onyx keeping a wing draped around his mate as she was just a foot or two away from Toothless, who shook his head. *I didn't even remember my own grandfather when I saw him, so, no. Anything past Ebony, Tempest, and Shadow, I don't remember any of them. Why are you bringing this up?*

Misty shrunk a little bit as she looked away slightly and stayed quiet for a moment. "You… you knew him back then somehow…. Didn't you?" Hiccup pieced together, Onyx nodding back to him after a moment with a hum.

*We were friends with his sire and dam, we kit-sat for them on occasion with Raven-Shade, Black Fire's parents.* Onyx revealed, looking back to Toothless with a meaningful gaze. *It really is good to see you back here Toothless. Tempest was the first dragon we saw after we heart-bound, he helped carry me back to the nest after the Fire-Spinner fight.* Onyx spoke as Misty nuzzled him warmly, purring up against him as he smiled and nuzzled her back.

Toothless-Hiccup both sat with their jaws unhinged, staring in surprise and then looking to each other for a moment before turning back, neither entirely sure what to do with this information as Misty's gaze turned back to Toothless with a smile. Then a thought hit Toothless, and he blurted out before anything could stop him. *What about my brother!? Shadow… We haven't seen him at all since the last time in front of the queen! It's like he's avoiding us!*

He startled the other heart-bound pair a bit with the suddenness of his question, but after a quick apology for surprising them, Misty began *Well, Shadow never connected too much with us. He was always closer to Raven-Shade. They're a lot alike. Very set in their ways, following in their family footsteps, rooted in the past...*

"Sounds a lot like old Berk…" Hiccup muttered under his breath at that part.

*I'm honestly not surprised he'd avoiding you… because of you…* she crooned apologetically as she pointed her nose at Toothless, then Hiccup. *I don't think you've seen Raven-Shade either, have you? The other Swift-Wings besides Black Fire with orange eyes…* Onyx mused as he still held his mate under his wing, while Toothless brought his tail around Hiccup.

"I can't recall ever seeing them, perhaps I did at the gathering chamber, but there were so many of you all there, I can't be sure" Hiccup noted, apparently they hadn't made as much headway as he'd hoped if some of the nest were still avoiding them. Misty quickly picked up on the way he felt when she saw him sigh and droop somewhat, gently pressing her nose to his chest and crooning to him. *Don't worry about them Hiccup, we know you're good.*

Hiccup smiled gently and reached up to scratch behind the drakaina's ears. "Thanks Misty. It's good to hear that I've managed to change a few of you guys' minds at least."

*Heh, well in her case it wasn't all that hard* Onyx butted back into the conversation with a smirk, *She was already about as fascinated with humans as Selena is and your mother used to be.* Onyx gave a nod towards Toothless, who blinked in surprise as Misty lightly bopped her other half with her tail.

For a moment, Toothless could swear he felt a memory or two come back to him, of Ebony talking to him and Shadow about humans, how they so far haven't been good to dragons, but to always keep an open mind. *Defend yourself from them at all costs, and be wary. But always give them a chance, just like you would any other dragon.* Her words echoed in his head from long ago, and he found himself smiling at Hiccup, glad that he'd followed her advice when the time came, even if he didn't remember it.

Toothless turned his gaze back towards the other heart-bound pair, glancing down sheepishly for a moment before picking back up to see them. *Could… you tell us a story or two about my family... from back then?...* He wriggled a bit and Hiccup smiled, hugging his dragon half with an arm as he looked at the two other Swift-Wings, who themselves had lit up like the northern lights, quite eager to tell them stories about Toothless' past.

* * *

A few weeks passed, and Hiccup and Toothless had left Myrkr with Selena and Shadow joining them, Misty was tempted to ask to go along as well after Shadow had spoken up as well at the meeting, but the two other swift-wings had special reasons each to go, and she had enough reasons to not add to their crowd. From Onyx still being under advisement from Ekeren to not push himself, to the fact that they had much catching up to do with Raven-Shade and Black Fire, now that they were no longer avoiding them because of the split in their thoughts on humans, to finally the idea that Misty had been considering now for the past few weeks, and was finally ready to propose to Ekeren on this particular afternoon.

After prodding from Raven-Shade, who kept telling her to stop wasting time and be decisive already, and from her Onyx, who was agreeing more and more with Raven-Shade each day, Misty found herself standing in front of Ekeren's chamber, listening to the noises of the elder Swift-Wing sleeping soundly within. She settled herself down and elected to wait for him to wake up on his own, it'd give her time to find the words anyways for what she wanted to say... She awoke with a squawk when she found Ekeren watching her sleep patiently, she hadn't meant to fall asleep...

*Hehe, greetings Misty. How is Onyx feeling?* the elder drake chuckled and purred at her startled expression.

*Oh! Um, he… he's just fine! No ill effects at all still!* she quickly replied, looking about in embarrassment as she got herself up, her nerves all returning at once.

*That's good to hear. Though it's still a few days before I told him to report how he's feeling to me, so I assume that's not why you're here?* The ever perceptive Swift-Wing smiled as he sat himself down in front of the drakaina, already having understood where this was probably going, and letting her be the one to say it, as it'd probably make her even more uncomfortable if he blurted it out for her. Misty took a few breaths to steady herself again as she gathered her thoughts and began speaking.

*It-... it's not, Ekeren. I… I was thinking… ever since Onyx took the cure Hiccup gave us and everything in the healing chamber, I've been thinking about what happened there. I thought about how little help you seemed to have there, and that helping other Swift-Wings would be really nice… also I don't have a role in the nest, and it'd be something I can be good at that doesn't need me to fight, and-* She was cut off from her rambling before she started by the elder drake's paw lightly poking her head, bringing her back to reality with a warm smile.

*Eh heh, s-sorry…. Anyway…I… I know it's usually the younger Swift-Wings who ask this sort of stuff… but, can I apprentice with you as a healer?* she finally managed to get out, exhaling as she looked up at Ekeren's kind eyes and amused expression, the older drake nodding steadily.

*Misty, I would be happy to teach you to be a healer.* Ekeren spoke calmly, already seeming confident in her future as his new apprentice as he watched her eyes widen in wonder and surprise.

*Really? Just like that?!* She beamed, making Ekeren laugh and bump his forehead to hers.

*Yes, just like that. Misty, you care, and you have a genuine desire to do this, I've been around enough to know that those two things combined means that you will become great at what you are interested in, especially with an old salt like me to guide you. We can begin tomorrow, back at the healing cavern.* He spoke wisely, quite sure in his decision and eager to begin passing his knowledge to her.


	7. Convergence of Fates

A/N: The song for this chapter is Aerodynamic by Daft Punk.

Chapter Seven: Convergence of Fates

It had been a relatively quiet few years for the heart bound pair since Toothless-Hiccup left to return to Berk. Aside from the nest moving twice, not much of anything happened to interrupt the regular routines of the Swift-Wings. Ekeren taught Misty how to be a healer day after day, the drakaina steadily improving her knowledge and skills and even rising in the nest hierarchy somewhat because of it. Onyx continued to defend the nest when called upon, which wasn't often at all, so mostly he filled his time with friends, and especially with his Misty; flying, fishing, continuing to try and produce their kit together, and keeping Misty determined and hopeful that their time to be sire and dam would come.

The two kept themselves well informed about the goings on with the queen-to-be and her occasional trips to Berk, always returning with fascinating stories of adventure and news of their friends. It seemed that Hiccup had mated with his desired and produced a kit of his own, or as humans called it, a child! Oh how Misty longed to meet them, but they didn't know how to get to Berk themselves from the new nest, and would need the Queens permission to go anyway, something that wasn't likely to happen, so there wasn't much point in asking for such a trip for as trivial a reason as seeing an old friend.

Black Fire and Raven-Shade had all rekindled their friendship with Misty-Onyx once Toothless-Hiccup had left as though nothing had happened. It took a bit of convincing on Misty-Onyx and Black Fire's part, but eventually even Raven came around and agreed that Hiccup would be worth meeting if they ever crossed paths again, rather than the avoidance tactic they had employed last time.

* * *

Phoebe sighed in exasperation at the news Skylancer and Nocte delivered, letting out a groan as she closed her eyes and muttered *Thank you both, you may go…* and then turned around and padded back into her chambers to notify Luna of her older sisters decision to stay on Berk, and have a kit with Toothless. She was proud of her daughter having made a decision on who to be mates with, _finally_, and she had absolutely no objection to Toothless being the one she chose, but at the same time, why oh _why _did it have to be _Toothless_, the Alpha of a whole other pack far away from here, which meant she had to _stay_ _there _with him.

In the back of her mind though, as she reflected on how headstrong she had been at her age, Phoebe couldn't help but smirk when Luna wasn't looking, thinking about how her first daughter was just like her. Of course she'd never let Selena know it, else she would _never _hear the end of things, or be able to keep her daughter in check ever again.

*Luna, I'm going for a flight. Why don't you go off to the nursery and hear a story or two? Keep where I'm going a secret though, darling, ok?* she whispered to her young kit, who happily nuzzled her dam back and played along with keeping her mom's flight a secret.

*Ok!* she chittered and flew off, leaving the queen of the nest to herself to turn around and fly off through her own exit to the chamber that lead outside, the cool night air hitting her and immediately refreshing her as she took a breath and leapt off into the darkened sky.

* * *

Shade flew lazily through the air, mostly gliding as he watched for anything out of the ordinary, beating his wings occasionally to maintain his altitude. Alongside him as he flew his outer patrol route for the day, was an equally bored Onyx, talking to his friend once again about what was still after all these years their biggest topic of disagreement, even more so than the importance of status. Humans. *I still don't feel like I could feel safe around them, Onyx, I'm sorry. I know Hiccup saved you and Misty, my own son is friends with him too, and the queen-to-be has been living with Toothless-Hiccup and all the humans on Berk for a while now, so clearly _that _pack of humans is different, at least…* He recounted Onyx's counterarguments before they could be brought up again.

*But if I encountered a wild human out there that wasn't Hiccup, I would still rather just blast them out of existence just to be safe… I guess ever since being there and watching Tempest fall to the hunters and get… desecrated… It's just... hard... to not see him meeting his end again every time I see a human...* Shade sighed as he spoke with resignation, the memory of watching hunters down his older friend and harvesting his skin, claws, and scales while he was forced to hide and watch because he'd been injured and depleted of shots himself, did indeed still colour Shade's every thought about humans. How could it not?

Though beneath the pain in his voice, there was also such a rare tone of uncertainty for him, he was usually so sure of himself in everything he thought, though he had been tempering somewhat over the years, much to his own benefit. The Swift-Wing once so headstrong that he would get into a fight with a newly heart-bound pair, would now often find himself always pausing for a moment to think about things more often, trying to actively 'give things a chance' after the nest's encounter with Hiccup and how well giving him a chance had worked out for all of the nest.

Onyx nodded and was about to reply when suddenly he felt the commanding call of the Queen in his head, but this time with a message he'd never heard commanded before, one that suddenly filled him with dread and fear. _***HELP!* **_The queen's will called out, snapping the two drake's eyes wide open as their gazes immediately turned to the source, finding their queen, out alone, and faltering her way towards them through the air. She looked in bad shape, her wings struggling to keep her aloft and her shoulders bleeding down over her paws as she came down to a hard landing, and behind her, a seriously angry looking Lightning-Fang, screeching it's hatred as it flew towards where she had landed.

*_CALL MISTY! TELL HER THE QUEEN IS HURT!_* Shade exclaimed, reaching out through his own heart bind for Raven to come help as well as fast as she could and gather any Swift-Wing she saw along the way to come with her. Onyx and Shade dashed through the sky towards the dangerously vulnerable drakaina, the two of them were the closest Swift-Wings to where she had dropped out of her flight, charging up blasts and firing them at the Lightning-Fang to get its attention and keep it at bay as best as they could. The wild dragon roared with rage at the arrival of the two other challengers, and engaged.

* * *

Back at the nest, Misty sorted through the different herbs in the healing cavern, quizzing herself about what each one was used for as she often did to keep her knowledge of them sharp. She suddenly jolted and her ears all perked up as she felt her mate calling to her through the heart-bind. ~MISTY! The Queen is injured! She got in a fight with a Lightning-Fang! Prepare for her arrival!~ She understood, sending an acknowledgement through back to her other half, who called back again. ~Me and Shade have to drive off the Lightning-Fang now! Misty, whatever happens,_ I Love You!_~

She shuddered and suddenly struggled to breathe from fear, calling back along the bind to him ~ONYX! _ I LOVE YOU TOO!_ _PLEASE DON'T DIE!_~ She cried out to him, receiving no acknowledgement this time, her mate too busy with the fight now to respond as she gathered her composure and thought quickly about what to do. *_EKEREN!_ Ekeren the Queen's going to need our help! She's probably been shocked, and might have some gashes! I'll get the herbs ready!* She quickly sprang into action as the elder Swift-Wing nodded back to her in acknowledgement, preparing for the queen's arrival as well.

* * *

Shade dove fast and hard, his direct approach relying on his impressive speed to dodge the incoming blasts as he fired a hard blast into the Lightning-Fang, smashing it in the face with a burst of plasma that exploded and got its attention on the orange eyed drake. Onyx meanwhile followed behind, watching for his best opportunity to strike, and when the Lightning-Fang turned to follow Shade, unaware of his presence thanks to the smoke obscuring it's vision from the other Swift-Wing's volley, Onyx launched a pinpointed strike to the back of its suddenly exposed wings before diving in and giving a glancing slash to its wide open flank before retreating back to cover, readying for Shade's next round of getting its attention and trying to create an opening.

It was a good plan, and their teamwork was well honed, but this enemy was cunning. It pieced together what they were doing after that first strike, and the next time Shade dove, he could only feel worry at the lack of bolts being thrown his way. Shade stuck to the plan regardless, and landed another hard blow to the Lightning-Fang, one that it was ready for and absorbed without much difficulty. This time though, it let Shade dash right past and paid him no mind at all, instead waiting for the other attacker to appear from the smoke. Shade's eyes went wide as he quickly cried out as fast as he could to his friend *ONYX! _DODGE!_*

Onyx heart the call a second too late, his eyes were wide with horror as he emerged from behind the smoke, and saw the Lightning-Fang right in front of him, surrounded by light and staring directly at him with all the rage and ferocity in the world, letting loose a bolt straight for him. The Swift-Wing turned his wings down and dove as hard as he could, hoping that with gravity's help he could get out of the way in time. The drake gasped in relief as he felt the tingle of the bolt just scrape his dorsal fins, glancing past him, but in dodging that shot the dragon had put himself into a whole different problem. A rapidly approaching ground shaped problem.

Onyx flared his wings as wide as he could and turned them back up with a hard downbeat, trying to arrest as much momentum on the air as he could, but he could only do so much in the time he had. He hit the ground with a hard thud, one that drove the air from his lungs and made him bounce with the force of the impact, landing a few lengths away from where he had hit. Luckily still conscious, and without anything broken it seemed, Onyx turned his gaze up to spy the Lightning-Fang above him, staring down at him and charging up another shot at the completely helpless dragon who had gotten the wind knocked out of him and his ribs bruised in his "landing".

Misty shuddered and choked for breath as she felt the echo of her other half's hard landing. Her eyes shot open in fear as she reached out along the strings of the heart-bind and sent as much strength as she could to her mate at the same time as she sent a message of worry across it. Onyx could only fight to catch his breath, focusing and willing his lungs to breathe again, struggling to get to his feet and try to dodge the next incoming bolt in time, until he heard the telltale shriek of a diving Swift-Wing, and saw Shade diving hard through the air, recklessly charging into the side of the distracted dragon with a head-butt that knocked them both from the sky and into their own ungraceful meetings with the dirt.

Onyx finally caught his breath and got to his paws, just as the sounds of Raven and the wing she was leading caught his ears. *GO! GET THE QUEEN BACK TO THE NEST! WE'LL HANDLE THIS!* Raven yelled out to him, quickly taking the Lightning-Fang's attention off of them and onto her and the others with a blast to the temporarily downed and vulnerable dragon, Skylancer and Nocte flanking her and surrounding the Lightning-Fang from the other side.

Onyx quickly searched for his Queen and found her just a few dozen meters away, quickly running over to her, wincing slightly at the pain in his ribs. She had passed out after calling for help it seemed, and was only just coming to again as she struggled to stand. *My queen! The pack is taking over the battle! I need to get you back to the nest!* he yelled out to her as she struggled to look him in the eyes and acknowledge him, Onyx quickly leaping back into the air and hovering above her, grabbing around her body with his paws and struggling to lift her up with him. *Come on! Help me fly you up!* He groaned and strained with the effort, beating his wings hard as he held tight, but she was quickly fading again and he was tired out from the fight and his previous patrolling with Shade.

*Majesty! _Stay awake!_* He tried to bring her back to reality, her wings drooping more and more, at risk of becoming nothing but dead weight, at which point it'd be impossible for him to get her back. *_PHOEBE!_* he yelled, resorting to calling her by name and dropping all pretence of status, bending down and biting one of her ears. She shrieked and snapped her eyes back open again, finding the deep navy eyes staring down at her. *_**FLY**_ PHOEBE! I CAN'T CARRY YOU ALONE!* Onyx commanded, taking charge and telling her what to do as he continued to flap his wings, trying to flap hard enough to lift them both off the ground.

The drakaina stared for a moment at him, her mind a haze, but a voice boomed in her head as she heard it call to her and command her to fly. She obeyed. Gritting her teeth, the drakaina forced her wings to flap and fought to stay awake and keep flapping, unsure if it was making a difference as she didn't have enough focus to even check her own senses, it taking all of her concentration to merely keep her wings beating and keep herself from disappearing again.

It was enough though, as Onyx matched her wingbeats and managed to make it off the ground with her in his limbs, holding on tight and angling for the nest, commanding her to keep flying as they went, as though if he stopped talking she would slip back into unconsciousness and they would be doomed. Together though they managed to limp their way through the air all the way to the nest, Onyx flying them into it and straight for the healing cavern, landing hard right in front of Ekeren and his mate, collapsing down in exhaustion at his queen's side while his other half quickly began to tend to the Queen's wounds.

Misty worked fast, cleaning the dried blood and dirt off the areas surrounding each wound before licking them with a generous dosage of saliva, and finally applying a herbal paste over the top of each one, sealing them against further dirt or infection, and applying pressure to the wounds that were still bleeding to stem them. Ekeren shared in tending to the Queen across from his apprentice, caring for her left side and back as Misty took care of her front and right side, together the two of them finishing in good time.

The Queen's injuries were indeed numerous, though the main thing she had suffered from was a case of severe blood loss, something they could only do so much for aside from keeping her well fed and watered, it seemed though to both of the healers that she had gotten past the worst of it, and she would only improve from here. Misty turned her attention quickly to Onyx, licking his nose gently and crooning to him in worry now that the queen was attended to.

Onyx groaned as he took deep breaths and looked to his mate with his best reassuring smile. *It's alright Misty, I'm okay. I'm not injured badly… but I am exhausted…* He spoke tiredly, but proudly, he'd managed to get the Queen back here, and while he was still worried for the others, there wasn't much he, Misty, or Ekeren could exactly do to go help, being either totally drained, or not-fighters. In just a few minutes though, news of how the fight had gone reached them when Raven-Shade, Skylancer and Nocte all tried to squeeze their way into the already crowded healing chamber at the same time, quickly informing them of the Lightning-Fang's defeat after being reassured that the queen would survive her wounds. Four fresh to the battle Swift-Wings versus an already tired Lightning-Fang made for a pretty one sided contest, one which ended without much more than a scratch to any of the others when the Lightning-Fang finally decided to flee. Even Shade had managed to get out of the battle practically free of injury, aside from a few bruises from when he had tackled the enemy into the ground.

It wasn't long after that Misty and Onyx both settled into one another and let themselves rest right there where they were while Raven-Shade headed off to inform the pack of what had happened, Skylancer and Nocte remaining to watch over the unconscious Queen of the pack, hoping to make up for having let her sneak past them and fly unguarded, resulting in this whole mess to begin with. *I'm so glad you're ok…* Misty sighed gently and licked her mate, holding him tight to her side under her wing as she shared her strength with him through the bind, *and I'm so proud of you my love…* she added with a squeeze of her tail around his own, the drake purring contentedly as he allowed himself to close his eyes and rest.


	8. Until Forever

A/N: The song for this chapter is 'A Sky Full of Stars' by Coldplay.

Chapter Eight – Until Forever

*Onyx.* The queen curtly greeted the Swift-Wing, Onyx bowing to her as she stood in the entrance to his and Misty's cavern. *May I come in? I need to address something* she began, having chosen this moment to speak with him, knowing his mate would be apprenticing with Ekeren today; in fact she was to follow up with them just after this to see how her wounds were healing.

*Of course my queen!* He was honoured, and quite nervous at the same time as he watched her pad her way into his cavern. In the back of his mind, he had a suspicion about what she wanted to talk to him about. Little did he know he was entirely correct in that assumption.

*I must first thank you for coming to my aid, and for carrying me back.* She began, the other Swift-Wing bowing his head respectfully, taking a moment to accept the thanks gratefully before she continued. *I must also ask though, when you did so, you called me by name, if I remember correctly. My memories of the event are somewhat foggy.* She noticed him visibly tense up a bit, sinking his head slightly and avoiding her gaze, and taking a moment to speak, before launching into a feverish ramble of apologies.

*...I did my queen... Please forgive me! It was out of line and improper! And I should not have done such a thing, no matter what the circumstances might have been! I am in no position to call you by name! And-*

*ONYX* The drake shuddered when the queen cut him off with a commanding tone, before her voice returned right back to normal. *You are correct. It was improper, and out of line, and a lot of other drakes would not have done the same.* She watched his head sink nearly all the way down to the ground as she spoke. *And I believe it is also what kept me from slipping back into unconsciousness during that flight. It was very bold of you, and it helped save my life. Thank you, Onyx.* She watched his eyes grow wide in disbelief as _she _bowed to _him_. He couldn't think about what to possibly do in that situation, frozen in amazement and grateful beyond words at the honour being bestowed upon him. Phoebe chuckled as she raised herself back up, noting his "startled deer" state, giving him a few seconds to collect himself before she continued. *So long as you do not overstep those bounds again without good cause, I see no reason to reprimand you for your lack of formality.* She smiled at him with a sway of her tail, again watching in amusement at the stunned expression Onyx was displaying.

*T-thank you my queen!* He allowed himself to smile back at her. She nodded to him in acceptance of his thanks before continuing on to one last piece of business.

*One more thing. When you told me to fly, it felt, _irresistible_. Like when I command the flock to gather. I couldn't possibly disobey. Onyx, have you any idea how you did that?* She finally brought up, the drake before her shaking his head.

*I-... I do not, my Queen. I have spent a good amount of time trying to understand it myself, but I have no explanation as to how I did it.*

She nodded in understanding before giving a reply. *I believe it must have been a heat of the moment thing. Something that you were able to do out of desperation because you _needed _to. I have seen such things happen before on rare occasions, when a brave dragon accomplishes an otherwise impossible feat because there was no other solution* she surmised. Having said what she had come to say, the queen began to turn to leave, pausing midway around to say one last thing to the drake. *I will be gathering the pack later tonight to inform them fully of what happened, the stories and rumours are starting to get a bit _too _exaggerated for my liking. Be ready to be called before the pack with Misty and Raven-Shade.* And with that, she turned and padded out of the cavern, taking to the air and flying off through the nest, leaving a bewildered Onyx to reflect on the interaction he'd just had with her.

* * *

*Misty-Onyx, Raven-Shade, please come forward.* The queen commanded neutrally, the two heart-bound pairs expecting the call, and sharing a quick nuzzle with their respective other halves before padding up into the centre of the gathering space before the rest of the nest.

**Yes my queen!** They bowed and thought-spoke in near unison as she let out a purr in response. Misty scanned her over quickly while she waited for what the queen was going to say, taking stock of how her wounds were healing. It had only been a few days, but she was holding up remarkably well. She stood atop her ledge without showing much weakness, and her scars were already beginning to fade from her shoulders. Misty probably wouldn't even be able to notice them by moon's end.

*I owe the four of you a debt of gratitude.* Phoebe began with a bow of her head, just as she had done for Skylancer and Nocte a few moments before once she's finished telling the pack at large the story of what had happened to her the other day, save for omitting a few key details. Details such as how Onyx managed to keep her awake during the rescue flight, or what prompted her flight in the first place. She would get to the latter part in a minute, but first... *For coming to my defence in time of need, risking yourselves in the process, and thus proving your dedication and worth to the nest, the four of you are hereby promoted.* She again bowed her head to them, this time, the rest of the nest joining in the respectful gesture.

The four Swift -Wings struggled to drink it all in, well, two of them at least. Raven and Shade were the less humble of the four, and preened as they lifted their heads and relished the attention and new status they felt they had earned. Misty and Onyx however could hardly believe their eyes as they searched the room, as if trying to find signs of the usual indifference and lack of attention the two had been used to getting their whole lives, finding none of it in the eyes of their nest-mates. A quick smack of the tail from Shade brought them each out of their stupor. *Oh will you two just stop and enjoy it… you earned this!* he quickly admonished them without much teeth, Misty and Onyx sharing a glance back at each other and feeling silly together for a split second, before preening themselves and letting the show of respect from the pack inflate their egos…

Just a little...

* * *

It was the queen's final decree that night that what happened to her would NOT be spoken of to Selena, at least not for a while anyways, and only then would she herself be the one to tell her daughter. It was also decided that she would visit her daughter herself, once her scars had fully healed, Selena's pregnancy would take a while anyways, so it was well enough that there was time for Phoebe finish healing and thus "cover up" the truth from her headstrong offspring. Convincing Luna to keep things a secret would probably be tough, but the time they had before the trip would help give Phoebe the chance to convince Luna, and for the news to get old enough for Luna to not care about it anyways.

Of course another unintended side effect of that plan to wait was that it gave time for all the Swift-Wings who had met and become friends with Toothless-Hiccup to decide that they should join the Queen in her trip to Berk. Phoebe sighed more deeply every time she gave her approval to yet another dragon to join the group; it was feeling like half of the nest would be flying with her to the island housing the queen-to-be and her mate. Even Raven-Shade had asked to join when they learned that Black Fire was granted permission; and between them, Misty-Onyx, and Black-Fire, it seemed like the group was going just as much to see Toothless-Hiccup as it was to go see Selena.

It was but a day before the group was scheduled to leave that Ekeren called out to Misty on her way to exit the healing cavern, her apprentice work done for the day. *Misty, may I speak with you before you leave?* he declared kindly, sitting down in a private spot just within the cavern.

Misty looked at him in befuddlement, joining him after a moment of pause to wonder what this was about. Had she messed up a patient recently? Ekeren smiled and purred to her as she sat herself across from him, seemingly happy, so no, it couldn't be that or anything else like it...

*Misty, have you been feeling any different the past few days?* he asked gently, carefully. It seemed he was measuring his words for some reason.

*Nnnnooooo…* Her response dragged on as she thought with a tilt of her head, *I feel just fine Ekeren, what's this about?...* she grew a bit worried, suddenly wondering what he might had noticed. There were numerous ailments that had symptoms too small for her to notice herself, but an elder like Ekeren would see as easily as one would spot Toothless' missing tailfin. She was both relieved and confused further when she saw Ekeren's expression shift, the dragon lighting up like the rising of the sun, beginning to wiggle excitedly.

*Then I have some very wonderful news for you.* He began, taking a moment to savor this, knowing what the news would mean to his apprentice and friend, and that what he'd spied would still be too subtle for anyone else to spot for a few more days, his experience and well-honed senses and the fact he was around Misty all day today were the only reasons he'd caught it at all.

*Misty...* He smiled at her as she listened close.

* * *

Onyx struggled to stay in flying formation with the wing headed for Berk, his mind elsewhere. His other half had been acting so strange since arriving back home from apprenticing yesterday, but when he had pressed her on it, she only told him to wait, for just a bit, that he'd find out soon what was going on. It baffled him immensely, she could barely sleep yesterday, and when she did, joining him in their shared dream-space, she even wiggled and shook there too just as she'd done in her wakefulness, seemingly unable to keep still. Was she really so excited to see Hiccup, Toothless and Shadow again? If so, why was it only now that she was so eager and not the days before? At least the focus on flying seemed to be keeping her toned down for now, and Onyx settled for blaming her excited state on the fact that it was indeed the day they would finally fly and see Berk and their good friends on it.

At their arrival, the group gave deference to the Queen's family and their interactions, they would all have their turn soon enough with whomever they had come to see. Of course, once the Queen and the alphas of Berk had finished, including the mild threat towards Toothless-Hiccup from the Queen, Hiccup was happily rubbing the noses of Misty, Onyx, and Black Fire in greeting, it seemed he was just as excited and unwilling to wait any longer than necessary to meet them again as they were. He settled for waving hello to Raven-Shade as their son introduced him to them, the two orange eyed dragons clearly not quite comfortable with the idea of being touched, he could tell. He had spotted the both of them wincing ever so slightly when he'd touched Misty-Onyx and Black Fire.

Raven and Shade both seemed on edge as Misty-Onyx and Shadow and Toothless spent a few minutes catching up and nuzzling each other warmly, even as Shadow padded up to them to give them some company they _would _enjoy. Still, they couldn't stop themselves from looking around at all the humans of Berk eying the group curiously, making them uneasy. *Is, there a-... a more private place to go to around here?* Shade finally asked when Toothless seemed all caught up with his friends, his voice faltering a bit as he shifted closer to Raven, his mate doing the same to him. Hiccup quickly nodded and turned to his other half, mutually deciding the two of them should split for a little while to make things a bit less crowded overall. Toothless with Selena and Shadow decided to spend time with Phoebe, Luna, Skylancer, Nocte, and Corona, while Hiccup would spend time with Raven-Shade, Black Fire, and Misty-Onyx, it seemed the group was visibly starting to separate that way anyway with how everyone was subtly positioning themselves, even if Shadow felt himself a bit torn between spending time with the group containing his brother, and the group containing Raven-Shade. Eventually Shadow made up his mind that their group was large enough without him, and that he and Toothless would spend more time with their respective fosters later.

*I know a good secluded place… Shade was it?* Hiccup replied, getting a nod of confirmation about his getting the name right before he turned to the sky blue eyed drakaina. *Misty, if you would carry me, I can show-*

*_YES HICCUP!_* she interrupted, once again squirming excitedly and with wide eyes full of wonder.

*-where it… is… heh. Figured you might like the idea of having a rider." Hiccup chuckled, a bit excited himself at the idea of fulfilling what he suspected was probably an item off Misty's bucket list. He guided the drakaina to lower her head for him as he climbed on, getting situated atop her back and holding on as she took off into the air, Raven-Shade fast on her tail, followed by Black Fire and Onyx.

Misty relished in the short flight to the cove, enjoying the feeling of a human such as Hiccup atop her back, unable to resist prolonging the flight by doing a few circles and other maneuvers, much to Onyx's delight as he watched his other half having a fantastic time. A part of her wondered if she could get him to ride her for a longer flight before they all left.

Raven and Shade both sighed in relief as they touched down in the cove, it was quiet, secluded, and entirely private. There were no other humans around except for the one they had business with, and it did a lot for their peace of mind. Hiccup dismounted and the other three Swift-Wings took a moment to survey their surroundings while Raven-Shade allowed their nervousness to dissipate as much as possible. *Hiccup?* Onyx pieced together first, *is this?*

"Where Toothless and I met, yep. It's also where Toothless and Selena became mates, and where me and _my _desired became mates as well.* He smiled and looked about his favourite walls on all of Berk, drinking them in once again as the other dragons did the same. *I don't know if this place is blessed by the gods, or the moon, or if it's just happenstance that makes it so special, but... There's just something about this place…" He trailed off happily, looking back down to see even Shade's tail gently swaying, the three dragons Hiccup had already befriended all wagging even more so at being introduced to such an important spot.

Shade bravely padded forth and Raven followed, stepping up alongside her mate before the human, who watched on and let them take the lead in their interaction. *I feel we owe you a bit of an apology, for, well, avoiding you back when you were on Myrkr… I've seen some things in my life, that have left me… jaded… about humans in general.* The Drake cautiously kept himself from looking away from the human, while Hiccup did all he could to help by looking as non-threatening and open as possible. Raven spoke up finally, the drakaina of few words living up to that reputation as she merely nodded and said *I as well…*, the heart-bound pair keeping the details of what had jaded the both of them private to themselves.

Hiccup nodded and knelt himself onto one knee to better be at eye level with the two Swift-Wings. *I accept your apology.* he thought spoke with a tone of formality, knowing from Misty-Onyx's stories they'd shared back on Myrkr about Raven-Shade that the two orange eyed dragons would appreciate that.

Shade visibly inhaled a deep breath and let it out in relief, turning his gaze to Misty-Onyx, then to Black Fire, and finally his other half, who nodded back at him too before they both found Hiccup once again with their eyes.

*Can we reintroduce ourselves properly?* Raven spoke this time, boldly leaning in to offer her head to the human. *I am Raven* she tried not to flinch as she let Hiccups palm meet her nose, her tail curled tightly around her mate's in a rare moment of longing for emotional support.

*And my name is Shade, heart bound with Raven.* Shade leaned in, Hiccup gently placing his other hand atop Shade's nose and letting it rest there. Shade did his best to ignore the memories in his head and focus instead on scrutinizing the human's features as he let himself be touched. Spotting the scar on his chin, covered by the start of some light hair, green eyes looking back at him, the coverings he wore and how they fitted his body, it gave his mind something to do, and as long as he had that, he could keep himself calm. Black Fire being nearby and purring softly to remind them of his presence didn't hurt either.

*My name is Hiccup, one half of Toothless-Hiccup. It's nice to meet you both. Your son is a fine dragon, as are your friends.* he complimented the two with a gentle closed mouth smile at Black Fire and Misty-Onyx in turn, Raven-Shade accepting the compliment with a warm purr each. Hiccup let the two Swift-Wings gently pull back away from his hands to sit down again, visibly relieved and happy with how that had gone. Black fire took a moment to nuzzle his sire and dam supportingly, reassuring them with a look that said "he can be trusted, you are going to be alright." That did well at getting the message across, Raven and Shade both seeming just a bit more comfortable this time as they spied the alpha of Berk again, seemingly just remembering his status, much to Hiccup's amusement as they panickedly bowed their heads again, making Misty and Hiccup laugh before the human could acknowledge the formal gesture and then reassure them back up. The three of them wondered what to do now for a brief moment, until Misty let out a warble to get their attention…

* * *

The drakaina let out a happy croon, visibly shaking a bit in excitement once again as she stepped into a better spot where everyone's eyes could be on her… and a spot she suspected might be upwind of them all if the wind happened to shift…

This was it... Here, in Toothless-Hiccup's cove, with her other half and her closest friends gathered, it was just… _perfect_. Hiccup was right, there _was _something magical about this place, and it seemed such like her and Onyx's plateau in how it felt, she could swear it was filling her with warmth just being there inside of its walls.

*Hiccup, Raven-Shade, Black Fire, _Onyx_…* She addressed each of them, lingering on her mate for just a bit longer than the others. *I have some important news to share, and I'm so glad I get to share it with you all at once together…" she thought-spoke so sweetly, her words having been rehearsed in her mind the whole way here and through all of last night. She was beyond excited and so full of emotion, and yet so perfectly calm and at peace, more so than she had ever been in her life as she finally readied to speak the three words that she had been dying to say since the moment she and Onyx had first mated. How perfect then in that moment, that the wind _DID_ turn, almost as though the moon itself had willed it to. Not by much, but just enough to reach one dragon's nose in particular.

Onyx looked at his other half, feeling the warmth and joy that overflowed from her through the heart bind, flooding his chest and making his tail sway with affection and joy as well. He was about to wonder what the news might be that was making her so happy, when suddenly a breeze carried her scent to him. His eyes and pupils grew _wide_. Onyx knew his mate's scent like the back of his own paw, it's every nuance, the strength and shape of each piece to her smell, and he wiggled in excitement suddenly as this time he scented a _NEW_ component to her.

*_MISTY?!_* Onyx couldn't help but cry out as he met her eyes, seeing her instantly figure out that he'd caught wind and learned what the news had to be, and the recognition and glee in both of their eyes seemed like it could fuel their love for the next three centuries.

*_Yes, My Love_!* she smiled back at him, then everyone again as she cried out to them.

*_I'M WITH KIT!_*


End file.
